Castles and fortifications in Germany
Schloss Weimar
Schloss Weimar was the residence of the dukes of Saxe-Weimar and Eisenach, and has also been called Residenzschloss. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Classical Weimar'. In history, the palace was often destroyed by fire. The Baroque palace from the 17th century, with the church Schlosskirche where several works by Johann Sebastian Bach were premiered, was replaced by a Neoclassical structure after a fire in ...
Founded: 1619 |
Location:
Weimar, Germany
Wimpfen Imperial Palace
The largest fortified Stauffer palace north of the Alps was built at the end of the 12th century by the Staufer emperors, which included Frederick I (Barbarossa) in Bad Wimpfen. Even from a far one is impressed by the striking silhouette with the two keeps, named the Red and the Blue Tower, the palace chapel, the arcades of the Stauffer palace and the stone house. Stauffer ladies in historical costumes give guided tours o ...
Founded: 12th century |
Location:
Bad Wimpfen, Germany
Berchtesgaden Castle
Berchtesgaden Castle dates from 1102 from the Augustin Collegiate. According to legend, Countess Irmgard von Sulzbach vowed to found the monastery as gratitude for saving her spouse after a serious hunting accident. Throughout the ages, provosts and canons expanded the complex of buildings. Seen from today, it is a lucky circumstance that never enough money was available for tearing the place down. On the contrary, exten ...
Founded: 1102 |
Location:
Berchtesgaden, Germany
Vischering Castle
Vischering Castle is a typical moated castle in the Münster region. It consists of outer defensive courtyard, defensive gateways, moat, drawbridge, main building and chapel. The sandstone walls, the red tile roofs as well as their reflection in the moat provide many harmonious views from the wooded surroundings. Vischering Castle was built by Bischop Gerhard von der Mark. It became the seat of the Vischering Family ...
Founded: 13th century |
Location:
Lüdinghausen, Germany
Linn Castle
The oldest fortress on the Lower Rhine is located in the historic Krefeld suburb of Linn. The former country castle belonging to the Electorate of Cologne has its origins around 1200. It was badly damaged during the Spanish Civil War of 1704. The beautiful water castle is well preserved and includes a bailey, hunting lodge and tithe barn. In the accompanying Landscape Museum it is possible to view excavation finds from t ...
Founded: c. 1200 |
Location:
Krefeld, Germany
Eutin Castle
Eutin Castle was originally a four-winged palace originating from a medieval castle and was expanded over several centuries into a residence. The castle originally belonged to the Lübeck prince-bishops, later it became the summer residence of the Dukes of Oldenburg. The castle was regularly occupied until the 20th century and most of the interior has survived to the present-day. Today the castle houses a museum and i ...
Founded: 16th century |
Location:
Eutin, Germany
Veste Oberhaus
Veste Oberhaus castle dominates the old city of Passau, which it faces across the Danube. Below Oberhaus on the promontory between the two rivers is Veste Niederhaus, part of the fortress system. The fortress was built in 1219 by Ulrich II, the first prince-bishop of Passau, at the location of a previously existing chapel dedicated to St. George. The intention was to express the military strength of the bishopric and sup ...
Founded: 1219 |
Location:
Passau, Germany
Petersberg Citadel
The Petersberg Citadel is one of the largest extant early-modern citadels in Europe and covers the whole north-western part of the city centre. It was built after 1665 on Petersberg hill and was in military use until 1963. It dates from a time when Erfurt was ruled by the Electors of Mainz and is a unique example of the European style of fortress construction. Beneath the citadel is an underground maze of passageways that ...
Founded: 1665 |
Location:
Erfurt, Germany
Weinheim Castle
Weinheim Castle (Weinheimer Schloss) was built in the early 1400s by Rupert of the Palatinate. Louis III, also Elector Palatine, finished it to the current appearance in 1537. The castle tower were restored to the neo-Gothic style in 1868 by Baron Christian Friedrich Gustav von Berckheim.
Founded: 15th century |
Location:
Weinheim, Germany
Electoral Castle
The Electoral Castle, with its solid construction and bulky tower, forms the townscape and portrays the power of its builder, the Archbishop and Elector of Trier. The castle had many purposes. It was a fortification to keep enemies out, a stronghold to keep the Boppard nobles at bay and a toll castle for collecting toll from the ships passing Boppard and filling the Elector’s pockets. Like most castles along the Rhine, ...
Founded: 13th century |
Location:
Boppard, Germany
Rheinstein Castle
Rheinstein castle was constructed around 1316-1317. It was important for its strategic location. By 1344, the castle was in decline. By the time of the Palatine War of Succession, the castle was very dilapidated. During the romantic period in the 19th century, Prince Frederick of Prussia (1794–1863) bought the castle and it was rebuilt. In 1975 the opera singer Hermann Hecher bought the castle. It"s due to him ...
Founded: 1316 |
Location:
Trechtingshausen, Germany
Sonnenstein Castle
The Sonnenstein Castle is a castle in Pirna housed a mental hospital, which operated from 1811 to the end of World War II in 1945. During the War, it functioned as an extermination centrefor the Third Reich Action T4 program. It was shut down following the war, and reopened in 1970. Sonnenstein was built after 1460 on the site of a former medieval castle. Sonnenstein castle was used as a mental home since 1811. Am ...
Founded: 1460 |
Location:
Pirna, Germany
Vondern Castle
Vondern castle was founded probably in the 12th or 13th century. The estate appears in documents in 1266, as the home of Gerhard de Vondere. Today Vondern is used for regular concerts, weddings and medieval market in summer.
Founded: 13th century |
Location:
Oberhausen, Germany
Husum Castle
Husum castle is the only manor-castle on the western coast of Schleswig-Holstein and highlights the important role that Husum has always played for the western part of the state. Duke Adolf von Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf (1526-1586) erected the castle in the Dutch Renaissance style between 1577 and 1582. He was the first ruler of this dukedom which had been formed by means of the settlement of an estate in 1544; the duke ...
Founded: 1577-1582 |
Location:
Husum, Germany
Stahleck Castle
The exact building year of Stahleck castle is not known, but it has been proved that the castle was already occupied since the year 1095. It's first mentioned in documents in the year 1135 under Goswin von Hochstadt. Until 1148 almost 10 years of fight followed for the rights of the Stahleck. In the year 1156, after the death of Hermann of Stahleck, his stepbrother Konrad von Hohenstaufen became count palatine of Bachara ...
Founded: c. 1135 |
Location:
Bacharach, Germany
Schloss Berge
Schloss Berge was mentioned first time in the 13th century, but the current Late Baroque and Classicism style appearance dates from 1785-1788. Today Berge is a hotel and restaurant.
Founded: 1785-1788 |
Location:
Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Speyer Old Gate
The Old Gate (Altpoertel) is the medieval west city gate of Speyer, and is one of the original 68 towers in the old walls and gates. Today it is one of the largest and most architecturally significant of the remaining city gates in Germany. The Old Gate was built between 1230 and 1250 on the ruins of a previous tower. The bottom of the 13th century tower remains as the foundation but, in 1511, Speyer's mayor ordered that ...
Founded: 1230-1250 |
Location:
Speyer, Germany
Altenburg Castle
Altenburg castle is perched on top of Bamberg"s highest hill and is one of Bamberg"s major landmarks. The castle was first mentioned in 1109 and was used at this time as a refuge. In the 14th and 15th centuries it served as a richly furnished residence for Bamberg"s bishops, but was almost completely destroyed in 1553 by margrave Alfred Alcibiades von Brandenburg-Kulmbach in the second margrave war. The on ...
Founded: 12th century |
Location:
Bamberg, Germany
Schönburg Castle
Schönburg Castle was first mentioned in history between the years 911 and 1166. From the 12th century, the Dukes of Schönburg ruled over the town of Oberwesel and had also the right to levy customs on the Rhine river. The most famous was Friedrich von Schönburg - a much-feared man known as “Marshall Schomberg” - who in the 17th century served as a colonel and as a general under the King of Franc ...
Founded: 1100-1149 |
Location:
Oberwesel, Germany
Altena Castle
Altena Castle was erected by the brothers Adolf and Everhard von Berg around the year 1108 after Henry V granted them land in Sauerland. On Wulfseck Mountain they built their castle, which they named Wulfeshagen, later Altena. This is one of the three legends of the establishment of the county of Altena and the building of the castle. After the acquisition of Mark near the city of Hamm in 1198, the counts of Altena ...
Founded: 1108 |
Location:
Altena, Germany