Bärenstein Castle today is emerged from a medieval hilltop castle and forms an irregular system in the shape of angled hook. The oldest part of the building is the south wing with a round tower from the 14th century. In 1489 this was increased and has had a flat conical roof since the 16th century . Another round tower connects the two castle wings. On the east wing there are two round arch portals in the Renaissance style , which are dated to the year 1522 by a coat of arms inscription.
Little of the historical structure has been preserved inside the castle. Noteworthy is a ballroom with large arched windows, a gothic star vault on the first floor of the round tower and some wooden ceilings with marbled paint from the 17th century on the second floor.
The castle was first mentioned in 1324 and was the ancestral seat of the von Bernstein family. However, the complex was probably built much earlier, as a knight Albrecht von Bernstein can be documented as early as 1165. The castle was used to monitor the Saxon-Bohemian border area and was strategically located on a hill above the Müglitz valley. From here in the 14th century the settlement of the upper Ore Mountains and the opening up of the region for mining began. In 1348 Knight Walzko von Bernstein received the castle from Margrave Friedrich the Elderto fief. From the early days of the castle, a gothic pointed arch portal has been preserved, above which is the coat of arms of the Bernsteins. The castle tower with a star vault in the basement also dates from this time.
The old castle was largely destroyed by a major fire in 1576 and then rebuilt as a residential palace. Conversions took place around 1880, whereby the castle lost much of its well-fortified appearance. A small palace park was built next to the west wing. Until 1991 the castle was used as a training and vacation home for the NDPD . Today it is privately owned.
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