Falkenstein Castle Ruins, Pfronten, Germany

Falkenstein Castle is located at 1,268 metres above sea level and it is Germany's highest located castle. The stone castle was built approximately 1270–1280 by Count Meinhard II von Tirol on the borders of his land (Tyrol). Because of the unusual situation of the castle it has been interpreted in historical context as a symbol of opposition to the Duchy of Bavaria. The name Castle Falkenstein only came into use in the 15th century. The castle was largely destroyed in the 17th century.

King Ludwig II of Bavaria purchased the ruin in 1883 and commissioned several architects, the first being Christian Jank (the designer of Neuschwanstein), to replace the existing structure with a romantic castle. Jank first created a restrained design, but later envisioned the castle in a dramatic, High Gothic style. Georg Dollmann was employed to produce plans and elevations in the same year based on Jank's design. However, his modest and economical designs displeased Ludwig.

Ludwig died in 1886 before work on the castle proper could begin, and the many plans for Falkenstein were permanently abandoned. The ruin of Castrum Pfronten on the building site was never demolished.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

TH3 TR/\V1R (11 months ago)
Great place for a good view over the whole area. It's also a nice hike in the mountains. The ruins are in top of the hill and quite impressive considering the castle needed to be built by hand without any machinery back then.

Sachin Kalakeri (14 months ago)
View from up here is good. Nothing much left of the castle just the 4 walls.

kaushal Patel (14 months ago)
Amazing historical place with awesome allgäu mountain view..

Giedre Rybakova (15 months ago)
Most beautiful sights from very high up! But a bit dangerous with kids...no proper stairs and the ruins are being renovated at the moment.

Josip Rosandić (19 months ago)
Fantastic ruins with great view of the Alps and the valleys around. You can easily climb on top of the ruin for even better view and some great photo opportunities. It is possible to drive almost all the way to the top, but I would suggest walking. There are plenty of benches along the way with awesome views for you to admire. All in all, I am in love with this place and I will definitely come back.

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