Heiligenberg Castle, Heiligenberg, Germany

Schloss Heiligenberg is a Renaissance-style castle owned by the Fürstenberg family. It is located on a plateau 730 metres above sea level, with views down onto the Bodensee and the Alps. It was first built in the Middle Ages - in 1250 count Berthold of Heiligenberg built a burgh on the site, which was bought in 1277 by count Hugo of Werdenberg. Under the counts of Werdenberg-Heiligenberg, the castle expanded during the late Middle Ages.

Through countess Anna of Werdenberg's marriage to count Friedrich zu Fürstenberg in 1516, the burgh passed to the house of Fürstenberg in 1535 - it is still owned by that family today. Shortly before his death in 1559, Friedrich decided to remodel the castle in the Renaissance style. The building as it is seen today dates to count Joachim (1538–1598), who from 1560 to 1575 rebuilt the late medieval burgh into a 'schloss', with a Renaissance-style courtyard and an extended ballroom wing to the south.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Juergen B-W (3 years ago)
Worth a visit, in case it is open. Great view of Salem Valley from the castle.

Lee Elaine (5 years ago)
Heiligenberg, a beautiful renaissance castle on top of a hill, very close to Lake Constance. The view from the castle courtyard towards the Swiss and Austrian alp mountains is amazing! You can also see Lake Constance and the very pretty landscape of Baden. If you are healthy and fit, you may start your walk from Frickingen or one of the villages at the foot of the hill.

Eddie Fulford (6 years ago)
Stunningly beautiful palace

Ludvig Wulff (6 years ago)
Amazing castle! No photos on the inside but so much more amazing than the other castles I've visited in Germany. Short tour on the inside but packed with stories and anecdotes in every room.

Bernd Korz (6 years ago)
Ich war sehr beeindruckt. Man fühlt sich in der Zeit zurückversetzt

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Infomastern

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral

Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

Heiligenberg Castle

Address

Details

More Information

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

Visby Cathedral