Does the Castle of Frankenstein really exist?

evanlange

YES! From About.com: Mary Shelley was inspired to write "Frankenstein" by her visit to a hilltop castle--with a panoramic view of the Rhine Plain. Locate approximately three miles south of Darmstadt, Castle Frankenstein is steeped in a blend of fact and legend, which transcend regional curiosity. In 1818, Lord Byron challenged his visitors at Lake Geneva to write a gruesome story. But, in 1816, Shelley visited Castle Frankenstein to investigate the castle after her stepmother, Mary Jane Clairmont, told her a tale about the site. The castle's most notorious inhabitant, according to Clairmont, was Johann Conrad Dippel, a physician and theologian. Dippel had attempted to construct a new human being out of body parts, virginal blood and esoteric, magical rites. Dippel used the castle's prison as a laboratory to conduct alchemistic experiments, which included attempts to create gold for the Count of Hesse. Jun 26 06, 6:55 PM