Hohenems

"The antiquity of Hohenems is so apparent, so forceful, it looms like a presence, a mysterious knight, armored cap-a-pie, visor lowered," observed James Reynolds in his 1956 book Panorama of Austria. Hohenems is a town dominated by castles, both ruined (the 12th-century Alt-Ems citadel atop the Schlossberg) and ravishing, especially the Schloss Glopper and the castle of Prince-Archbishop Marcus Sittikus von Hohenems, with its elegantly ornate Rittersaal. Empress Elisabeth of Austria used to stay in this castle toward the end of her tragically shortened life and, in fact, used the title Countess Hohenems when she traveled "anonymously" around the world.