European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 14, 1958, Darmstadt, Hesse                                I lit Llyn legends of i Tomb of Early Frankenstein lady at Nieder Meerbach. The Feudal Castle dating from year 1252, is visited by thousands every year. Effigy of Knight George who slew monster. Aerial View of Frankenstein Castle. Contrary to popular belief the ruins were not the site of fictional Frankenstein experiments. R i"11 i " caretaker Hechler right knows All Frankenstein legends. Frankenstein Castle stands High above wooded Hillside. Poo. 12 visitors look out from Castle ramparts. The stars and stripes by Brendan p. Mulready staff writer on a 1,200-foot height in Germany Rodenwald that darkly Beautiful re Gion Between Darmstadt and Heidelberg immortalized in wagnerian opera stands a forbidding pile of masonry known As Frankenstein s Castle. With its two towers standing starkly against a dark autumn sky in Twilight it conjures up the grave robbing mania of the fictional German student Frankenstein who made and animated a monster in human form which was ultimately to de stroy him. When Mary w. Shelley wrote her Book Frankenstein or the modern prometheus in 1818, there is no indication she had the ancient German Frankenstein family in mind. Her Book met with such Success that the last part of the title has been dropped and the work is known simply As Franken  so what is More natural than that the gloomy pile on a Hilltop South of Darmstadt be pointed out As the setting forms. Shelley s horror tale two of the film versions of the creep Story were made at the Castle and in ancient churchyards nearby. Many of the thousands who visit the Castle every year wrongly expect to see opened Graves and the Laboratory where Frankenstein fashioned his monster. Atop the Hill Are the ruins of a Feudal Castle dating Back to 1252, with an interest ing history of its own. For there was a monster in the real Frankenstein family history a snorting beast appeased Only by the sacrifice of the most Beautiful Maiden in the area. Hero of the tale was the Knight George son of Philip of Frankenstein. The monster was supposed to have lurked in the Vicinity of the Kattenborn or cat s Well in the Valley of Nieder Meerbach just Down the Southeastern slope from the Castle. Legend tolls that Annamarie comely daughter of tie Frankenstein forester was to be Flung to the beast after which the monster was supposed to return to its Lair and leave the Good people of Nieder Beer Bach alone. Though George was married he did not want to see the girl perish. So he donned helmet and Buckler and grasping his Faith Ful Broadsword went Forth to face the monster. After a furious Battle he killed the beast. But he suffered a wound in the knee and he ced shortly afterwards. The year was 1531 and he was buried in the Little Church at Nieder Meerbach. There Knight George s Tomb May be seen. It shows a life size image of the Knight in full Armor his feet set on a dragon and the dragon has its Tail wound around the left leg of the Knight. But the Stojin does not end there. According to legend the monster returns every 100 years in search of Knight  last recorded visit came on Hallow Een 1852, at. The dread hour of Midnight. Several people in the Vicinity claimed to have seen the creature. They described it As eight feet tall and covered with  one woman was alleged to have been savagely attacked by the beast. Christian Hechler and his wife have been running a restaurant at Trecastle for nearly 40 years. They were mar ried in the Frankenstein Chapel. Over the years they have picked up quite a bit of is photos by Ted Rohde information about the place and the Frank Enstein family. Hechler is also the official caretaker for the Castle now owned by the stale of  be been looking for that monster during the years we have been Here he said with a twinkle in his Eyo. But the biggest monster we have found hereabouts is an occasional Rabbit except for a 40 Pound Deer once in a while and maybe Fox or  the ancient Barons of Frankenstein used to receive a Quantity of Corn and two florins annually from the town of bes Sungun now part of Darmstadt. In return they were required to lend the townspeople a Donkey on which husband beaters were required to ride facing backwards As punishment. If it was a fair fight the husband led the animal through the town Square. But if the wife had used unfair tactics she was led ignominiously through the crowd by the Frankenstein stable Man. Another Frankenstein legend is based on the Vampire superstition which gripped the minds of people in the Middle Ages. In 1530 several people in the neighbor Hood were found dead and with reputedly a la their blood drained away. The towns people believed the Frankenstein were harbouring a Vampire. Later the 18-year-old wife of one of the Frankenstein was found dead and bloodless in one of the Castle towers and shortly thereafter the Vampire is supposed to have vanished. The Best substantiated legend of Frank Enstein Castle concerns treasure. In 17 53 a group of townspeople dug tunnels under the Castle in a search for buried treasure. The Only thing known for sure about the Frankenstein legends is they found no treasure. Friday november 14, 1958 a Tomb of Frankenstein family in graveyard of nearby Nieder Meerbach. The stars and stripes Page 13