Marienberg Fortress

Würzburg, Germany

The original castle on the Marienberg, a hill which was first settled in the late Bronze Age, was probably a small fort built early in the 8th century by the Franconian-Thuringian dukes, together with a church which in 741 became the first church of the Würzburg bishops. From 1200 an unusually large castle was built, which was extended during the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Following the storming of the castle in 1631 by the Swedes, Prince-Bishop Johann Philipp von Schönborn built a circle of massive bastions to protect the Marienberg. In 1945 the fortress was almost completely burned out, and its reconstruction was only completed in 1990.

On the first floor of the Princes' Building Museum (administered by the Bavarian Palace Department), is the Bibra Apartment with valuable furniture, tapestries and paintings, the Princes' Hall with early Gothic arcatures and the large Echtersche family tapestry, as well as a treasury and vestment chamber from the era of the prince-bishops. On the second floor is the Main-Franconian Museum documenting the history of the fortress and town.

The 1,300 m2 Princes' Garden is accessible from the castle courtyard: it was reconstructed in 1937-38 on the basis of plans dating from the early 18th century.

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Details

Founded: 1200
Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Luka Afonine (9 months ago)
This place is a beautiful place to go to, and a must for anyone visiting Würzburg or is nearby the area. Climbing up to the castle is about a mile walk, and depending on which way you go, it can be a shorter steeper way, or about a mile less steep way. As you get higher up, the view gets better and better of Würzburg. Once you reach the top, you can explore the castle before going to the side a viewing the view. Must take photos along the way. Going at night is even more breathtaking, where the main building of Würzburg are lit up, and pop out of the city.
Elly Beinhorn (10 months ago)
Nice 360° view from the tower of the fortress (check the opening hours) and around the little walk around the fortress! Unfortunately, a lot of ongoing works that don't respect the visitors and it was a bit with a surprise to see that information tables were scarce. Hefty parking fees - try to park a bit away or walk up to the fortress from downtown across the beautiful, medieval pedestrian bridge.
Myka Ktrell (13 months ago)
Historic site, very impressive. Better to book a tour online if you can plan ahead. Still a lot to see outside of the buildings. Buy the info booklet, especially if you can't get in on a tour group.
Learn YourSelf 24 (Imran Islam Iman) (14 months ago)
This fortress is holding thousands years of cultural, historical and religious symbol. It can be a great place to visit and by walking around you can see the whole city of Wuerzburg and the beauty of the nature. You know the height of this fortress is 873 feet. If you want to see how this fortress make the bridge between modern and ancient architecture then you are invited to visit. Thanks a lot for reading my review carefully. Please, don't forget to like and follow my profile.
Andrey Rudenko (15 months ago)
Well worth the visit, count on a beautiful 30 minute walk up around the castle. Then it is possible to get down quicker, just walk towards the church on the north side
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