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The Ehrenberg castle ruins offer everything you would expect from a medieval castle complex: fortified walls, high towers and an impressive history. The historic fortress ensemble, which is a particular crowd-puller in the summer months, now becomes a magical place for the first time in the darker months of the year, when luminous mythical creatures, historical figures of light and a colourful crowd of forest animals make their way into the grounds of Ehrenberg Castle World. LUMAGICA Ehrenberg will transform the castle landscape into a magical park of lights from 25 November 2022 to 26 February 2023. Visitors can be enchanted on the light trail amidst illuminated installations, embedded in spherical sounds and the wintry, nocturnal nature of the castle ruins.
Many stories and legends have grown up around Ehrenberg Castle over the centuries. One of the most famous is probably the one about the knight Rüdiger and the dragon "Feuermaul", which tells how the brave knight is helped by the dragon Feuermaul to protect the castle and the Klausenwald forest from villains. When the two realise that the magical dragon crystal, to which the dragon owes its special powers, has disappeared without a trace, an adventurous search begins. One thing is clear: the crystal must be found again, otherwise the dragon Firemouth will lose its power and energy and turn into a stone figure.
The thematic staging of the park of lights is based on and inspired by this story: On the circular route through Ehrenberg Castle, visitors accompany Knight Rüdiger on his exciting journey to find the magical dragon crystal again.
As soon as they arrive at the hermitage, visitors are captivated by the splendour of the illuminated buildings and glittering trees. Where once there was a customs station, a storage site and a defence facility, there is now a meeting place with a restaurant, hotel, museum and event venues. Illuminated native animals welcome visitors and point the way to the magical LUMAGICA light park. From the hermitage, you can walk for around 15 minutes through the wintry forest or take the more comfortable inclined lift - the "Ehrenberg Liner" - to the entrance of the park of lights.
Visitors enter the castle forecourt through a baroque portal and, surrounded by music and dancing trees of light, immerse themselves in history - the exciting search for the dragon crystal begins. Ehrenberg Castle sits enthroned at the top, its majestic façade bathed in festive light and attracting everyone's attention. The glowing light installations form an enchanting contrast with the historic walls, creating the special atmosphere of LUMAGICA Ehrenberg.
The light trail leads visitors through variously designed scenes. After a short climb, the outer castle gate is reached and the route leads past a guard into the forecourt of the ruins. Here, visitors meet the "unctuous women" who shed many a tear at the castle in days gone by. Where these tears were shed, "always red roses" grow, which are in full bloom during LUMAGICA.
The circular route continues across the Falkenwiese, where a sword fight between "fire and ice" - giant icicles paired with a fiery frenzy - takes place. Your visit becomes a little more dreamy when you meet a "star girl". However, there is no time to linger, as there are many more exciting areas to explore, such as the forest of animals, the wonderfully colourful "kingdom of fish" and the gloomy area of the "Ehrenberg cat". There is even a rock passage to wander through and explore. Knight Rüdiger guides his companions through all the adventures and finally ensures a happy ending: the dazzling glowing dragon crystal is found and the dragon Feuermaul and Ehrenberg are saved.
Along the light trail, for which you should plan around one and a half hours, there are always magnificent views of the festively illuminated castle ruins and their surroundings. A total of more than 170 light objects, as well as music-synchronised light installations and interactive elements line the circular route of the park of lights. LUMAGICA visitors also have the opportunity to cross the well-known pedestrian suspension bridge highline179 and marvel at the illuminated silhouette of the castle ruins from the opposite side and capture the LUMAGICA experience in a personal souvenir photo at the photo point there.
"The eventful history of the Ehrenberg castle ruins allows us to tell a truly captivating story with our light objects. In combination with the wintry natural surroundings, there are unique starting points to immerse visitors in a fantastic world. The production is sure to be lumagic," says Thomas Mark, President of MK Illumination, which organises LUMAGICA in close cooperation with the Ehrenberg Castle World Association, enthusiastically. Armin Walch, Managing Director of the Ehrenberg Castle World Association, is also delighted about the new attraction in the coming winter: "The LUMAGICA Park of Lights format represents a further enrichment of the year-round cultural tourism programme at Burgenwelt Ehrenberg."
The combined ticket for LUMAGICA Ehrenberg with the tourist attraction highline179, which is located in the grounds of the magical park of lights, promises to be particularly attractive: "The combination of an exciting nature experience on the spectacular suspension bridge and the magic of lights in a historical setting is a proverbial highlight for all visitors," says Mark. All visitors to LUMAGICA have the opportunity to walk across the highline179 free of charge, as the ticket for the #BlickMitKick is already included in the ticket price.
"In these times, saving energy is an urgent necessity for several reasons. And of course there is no question that first and foremost the basic supply of energy to the population must be guaranteed. From our point of view, the activities surrounding LUMAGICA must also be subordinated to this," says Thomas Mark, aware of the current situation in the energy sector. For this reason, all measures were taken from the outset to ensure the economical use of energy for the park of lights. "Thanks to the exclusive use of LED lighting, it is possible for us to realise LUMAGICA with exceptionally low energy requirements. The electricity consumption of the park of lights in Ehrenberg amounts to around 17,500 kWh over a period of 80 days. This means that the consumption per season is roughly equivalent to the average annual consumption of six four-person households." An even simpler comparison: one LUMAGICA light park consumes roughly the same amount of electricity in one season as 17 street lamps per year. "In view of the positive effects that LUMAGICA has for residents, guests and tourism in a region, this is an absolutely justifiable figure," concludes Mark.
Especially in challenging times like these, it is important for people to be able to experience joyful moments. The light installation by LUMAGICA Ehrenberg will create a positive atmosphere and bring joy into the dark times with its warmth and peaceful radiance, especially for children and families.
25. November 2022 to 26 February 2023 at the Ehrenberg castle ruins
Ticket centre opening hours: 4:30 pm to 7:30 pmOpening hours of the Park of Lights: 4:30 pm to 9:00 pm24and 31 December closed09 to 31 January open from Thursday to Sunday
Organiser: MK Illumination, Klaus and Thomas MarkPress contact: Silke Mader, TVB Naturparkregion Reutte silke.mader@reutte.com
About LUMAGICA light parks: The castle ruins, the fairytale castle park, the disused industrial site or the dormant slag heap - it is the unusual places that make a visit to a light park a special experience. LUMAGICA's light artists take a very close look at the uniqueness and history of each location when designing the various courses, which is why each individual park of lights is so distinctive. LUMAGICA light parks are an illuminated event format from MK Illumination, the global market leader for festive decorative lighting. Launched in Hückelhoven in 2018, they have already delighted thousands of visitors. In winter 21/22, 23 parks of lights had already opened their doors worldwide, including six parks of lights in Germany and one in Austria.