Lohr Castle, Lohr am Main, Germany

The foundation for Lohr Castle, first mentioned in records in 1389, was laid around 1340 by Count Gerhard V of Rieneck at the northwest corner of the old town of Lohr am Main. Initially, it was just a residential tower modeled after Flemish designs, which was surrounded by a moat and a ring wall from the late 15th century onwards. Nearby were buildings such as the bandhouse, forestry office, coach house, and cellar.

After the death of the last Count of Rieneck, Philipp III, the Electors of Mainz took over the building in 1559 as regional rulers and gradually gave it its present form. It became the seat of the Electorate's senior officials. The most well-known official was Philipp Christoph von und zu Erthal, who used the castle as his residence from his appointment in 1719 until his death in 1748. His two princely sons, Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal, one of the last Electors of Mainz and Prince-Bishop of the Diocese of Worms, and Franz Ludwig von Erthal, born in Lohr and later Prince-Bishop of Bamberg and Würzburg, were raised here.

In 1814, the Kingdom of Bavaria took over the castle and used it as an administrative seat. Among other things, it housed the district office of the Lohr district until the territorial reform of 1972. The building was renovated in 1913.

In the castle's Knight's Hall, the Lohr Museum of Local History and the Spessart Museum were established in 1936. The museum was closed in 1942 and reopened in 1949. Since 1972, only the Spessart Museum remains in the building, focusing on the history of the castle and the Spessart region, with an emphasis on the relationship between people and the forest.

Gamla Uppsala Church

The stone church of Gamla Uppsala, built over the pagan temple, dates from the early 12th century. Due to fire and renovations, the present church is only a remnant of the original cathedral.

Before the arrival of Christianity in Sweden, Gamla Uppsala was the seat of Swedish kings and a ceremonial site known all over northern Europe. The settlement was home to royal palaces, a royal burial ground, and a great pagan temple. The Uppsala temple, which was described in detail by Adam of Bremen in the 1070s, housed wooden statues of the Norse gods Odin, Thor and Freyr. A golden chain hung across its gables and the inside was richly decorated with gold. The temple had priests, who sacrificed to the gods according to the needs of the people.

The first Christian cathedral was probably built in the 11th century, but finished in the 12th century. The stone building may have been preceded by a wooden church and probably by the large pagan temple.

Monica E (4 months ago)
Beautiful castle and museum, bigger than I was expecting. All very well maintained. Lots of different exhibits, some of them interactive.

Oleksandr Ulianovskyi (11 months ago)
Super

Matthew Doyle (3 years ago)
Beautiful village, loads to see Snowwhites Castle, walk in the Spessart woods, fantastic german history and amazing traditional food

Dom Wong (5 years ago)
It seems to be fully renovating the exterior so we didn’t explore much of it.

John Smith (5 years ago)
Couldn't see much with the scaffolding in the way.

Lohr Castle

Address

Details

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Gamla Uppsala Church