Zwernitz Castle, Sanspareil, Germany

Zwernitz Castle was originally the hereditary seat of the Walpodes of Upper Franconia. The keep and the tithe barn made of rusticated ashlars are part of the original Romanesque complex built in 1200. In 1338 the castle came into the possession of the Hohenzollern family. Around two centuries later the half-timbered buildings of the lower castle were added. When the rock garden was laid out, it was designed to incorporate a view of the castle located on a natural elevation above it.

An interesting exhibition in the castle complex documents the history of Zwernitz Castle, its inhabitants, and Sanspareil. From the keep there is a magnificent panoramic view of the Franconian Switzerland Natural Park.

References:

Bayerische Schlösserverwaltung

User Reviews

Andrea Horn (19 months ago)
Wunderschön und einen Ausflug wert

Archi Var (2 years ago)
Der alte Stammsitz der Walpoten. Man kann die Burg besuchen, es gibt Ausstellungen und manchmal sogar größere Veranstaltungen mit historischen Kostümen etc. #Sehenswürdigkeit #Denkmal

to krueger (2 years ago)
Vom Turm aus bietet sich eine tolle Aussicht. Museal lässt sich sicherlich noch ein wenig mehr aus der Anlage herausholen.

Roxy Munich (2 years ago)
Voll schön, vorallem die Gartenanlage... Hatten ein super schönen Tag dort..

Dean Surina (2 years ago)
Tolle Burg, dramatisch auf dem Felsen thronend, mit interessanter Geschichte! Es gibt viel zu sehen und zu entdecken. Super Fernblick. Auch für Kinder u. Jugendliche ein Erlebnis, dank Museumspädagogik (Rüstungen, Waffen...) sehr unterhaltsam gestaltet. Tipp: Blick in das Verließ (Turm) auf die "Knochen der ehem. Gefangenen". ;-)

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Photo from Flickr, copyright adegie

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Czocha Castle

Czocha Castle is located on the Lake Leśnia, what is now the Polish part of Upper Lusatia. Czocha castle was built on gneiss rock, and its oldest part is the keep, to which housing structures were later added.

Czocha Castle began as a stronghold, on the Czech-Lusatian border. Its construction was ordered by Wenceslaus I of Bohemia, in the middle of the 13th century (1241–1247). In 1253 castle was handed over to Konrad von Wallhausen, Bishop of Meissen. In 1319 the complex became part of the dukedom of Henry I of Jawor, and after his death, it was taken over by another Silesian prince, Bolko II the Small, and his wife Agnieszka. Origin of the stone castle dates back to 1329.

In the mid-14th century, Czocha Castle was annexed by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia. Then, between 1389 and 1453, it belonged to the noble families of von Dohn and von Kluks. Reinforced, the complex was besieged by the Hussites in the early 15th century, who captured it in 1427, and remained in the castle for unknown time (see Hussite Wars). In 1453, the castle was purchased by the family of von Nostitz, who owned it for 250 years, making several changes through remodelling projects in 1525 and 1611. Czocha's walls were strengthened and reinforced, which thwarted a Swedish siege of the complex during the Thirty Years War. In 1703, the castle was purchased by Jan Hartwig von Uechtritz, influential courtier of Augustus II the Strong. On August 17, 1793, the whole complex burned in a fire.

In 1909, Czocha was bought by a cigar manufacturer from Dresden, Ernst Gutschow, who ordered major remodelling, carried out by Berlin architect Bodo Ebhardt, based on a 1703 painting of the castle. Gutschow, who was close to the Russian Imperial Court and hosted several White emigres in Czocha, lived in the castle until March 1945. Upon leaving, he packed up the most valuable possessions and moved them out.

After World War II, the castle was ransacked several times, both by soldiers of the Red Army, and Polish thieves, who came to the so-called Recovered Territories from central and eastern part of the country. Pieces of furniture and other goods were stolen, and in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the castle was home to refugees from Greece. In 1952, Czocha was taken over by the Polish Army. Used as a military vacation resort, it was erased from official maps. The castle has been open to the public since September 1996 as a hotel and conference centre. The complex was featured in several movies and television series. Recently, the castle has been used as the setting of the College of Wizardry, a live action role-playing game (LARP) that takes place in their own universe and can be compared to Harry Potter.

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