Eisenberg Castle Ruins

Pfronten, Germany

Eisenberg Castle is a medieval hilltop castle ruin north of Pfronten. Eisenburg Castle was built in 1313, when the nobles of Hohenegg, deriving from the West of the Allgau, were deprived by force of their castle, Loch, by the Tyrolean. In consequence, they moved a few miles further north to establish their new lordship of Eisenberg which centered round a new castle. To visualize their power towards Tyrol/Austria, which held the closely sited castle of Falkenstein, Peter of Hohenegg decided to build Eisenberg in a most impressive manner: he placed it on top of a high mountain and surrounded the main castle with an exceedingly high curtain wall which gave the impression of a huge tower. The two residential houses together with the kitchen and chapel leaned against the inside of the curtain wall. The ground to the south of the main castle was covered by the outer castle, with access to the main castle from the east; later to be walled up, but still visible.

In 1382 the nobles of Hohenegg sold their castle to Austria, which by then was a more reliable partner than anybody else around. In 1390 Austria made Frederic of Freyberg constable of the castle whose eldest son built the neighbouring castle of Hohenfreyberg in 1418-32. Though the defences of the castle were strengthened around 1500, the castle was conquered without any effort in 1525 in the course of the German Peasants' War by local peasants who damaged the castle badly.

Nevertheless the castle was rebuilt ten years later in a sumptuous way by Werner Volker of Freyberg after receiving high compensation payments from the peasants. He improved the living luxury immensely by erecting a new stair tower and adding a bakery, a bath and several mured toilets to the curtain wall. Also the main castle got a new main gate towards the west.

The end of the castle came on the 15 September 1646, shortly before the end of the Thirty Years' War, when the Austrians burnt their own castles of Eisenberg, Freyberg and Falkenstein in a policy of scorched earth. in the 1980s the 'Burgenverein Eisenberg' and the community of Eisenberg restored the fabric and established a small museum in the center of Zell.

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Address

Pfronten, Germany
See all sites in Pfronten

Details

Founded: 1313
Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Habsburg Dynasty (Germany)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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Hohenfreyberg Castle Ruins (0,2 km)
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User Reviews

Mon Sno (21 months ago)
Amazing view and the restaurant offers really delicious food
Steffen Jeschke (2 years ago)
Nice view and a good hike for the afternoon
Matthias Wagner (2 years ago)
Excellent view. Nice restaurant nearby.
James van der Moezel (2 years ago)
You can walk up via the fully paved road from the lower parking area. It took around 40 minutes with a pram. The way up to the ruin is stairs and you’ll have to leave the pram at the hotel. The castle is open despite what other reviews say. It’s 4 walls with a lookout platform at the top. Well worth it if you like history, ruined castles, or views.
Zachary ruf (2 years ago)
Spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. I recommended hiking up from one of the parking areas. You can stop and see the mountain statue on your hike. It is stunning. The former castle on top is also beautiful.
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