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.

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Address

KU8, Sanspareil, Germany
See all sites in Sanspareil

Details

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

More Information

www.schloesser.bayern.de
www.bayreuth-wilhelmine.de

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Wiesentfels Castle (7,6 km)


Bamberg Town Hall (32,4 km)
Bamberg Historic City Centre (32,3 km)
Bamberg Cathedral (32,7 km)
Geyerswörth Palace (32,3 km)
Veste Coburg (39,2 km)
St. Martin's Church (32,2 km)
Ehrenburg Palace (39,4 km)
Michaelsberg Abbey (32,9 km)
Carmelite Monastery (32,8 km)

User Reviews

Andrea Horn (2 years ago)
Wunderschön und einen Ausflug wert
Archi Var (3 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 (3 years ago)
Vom Turm aus bietet sich eine tolle Aussicht. Museal lässt sich sicherlich noch ein wenig mehr aus der Anlage herausholen.
Roxy Munich (3 years ago)
Voll schön, vorallem die Gartenanlage... Hatten ein super schönen Tag dort..
Dean Surina (3 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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Glimmingehus, is the best preserved medieval stronghold in Scandinavia. It was built 1499-1506, during an era when Scania formed a vital part of Denmark, and contains many defensive arrangements of the era, such as parapets, false doors and dead-end corridors, 'murder-holes' for pouring boiling pitch over the attackers, moats, drawbridges and various other forms of death traps to surprise trespassers and protect the nobles against peasant uprisings. The lower part of the castle's stone walls are 2.4 meters (94 inches) thick and the upper part 1.8 meters (71 inches).

Construction was started in 1499 by the Danish knight Jens Holgersen Ulfstand and stone-cutter-mason and architect Adam van Düren, a North German master who also worked on Lund Cathedral. Construction was completed in 1506.

Ulfstand was a councillor, nobleman and admiral serving under John I of Denmark and many objects have been uncovered during archeological excavations that demonstrate the extravagant lifestyle of the knight's family at Glimmingehus up until Ulfstand's death in 1523. Some of the most expensive objects for sale in Europe during this period, such as Venetian glass, painted glass from the Rhine district and Spanish ceramics have been found here. Evidence of the family's wealth can also be seen inside the stone fortress, where everyday comforts for the knight's family included hot air channels in the walls and bench seats in the window recesses. Although considered comfortable for its period, it has also been argued that Glimmingehus was an expression of "Knighthood nostalgia" and not considered opulent or progressive enough even to the knight's contemporaries and especially not to later generations of the Scanian nobility. Glimmingehus is thought to have served as a residential castle for only a few generations before being transformed into a storage facility for grain.

An order from Charles XI to the administrators of the Swedish dominion of Scania in 1676 to demolish the castle, in order to ensure that it would not fall into the hands of the Danish king during the Scanian War, could not be executed. A first attempt, in which 20 Scanian farmers were ordered to assist, proved unsuccessful. An additional force of 130 men were sent to Glimmingehus to execute the order in a second attempt. However, before they could carry out the order, a Danish-Dutch naval division arrived in Ystad, and the Swedes had to abandon the demolition attempts. Throughout the 18th century the castle was used as deposit for agricultural produce and in 1924 it was donated to the Swedish state. Today it is administered by the Swedish National Heritage Board.

On site there is a museum, medieval kitchen, shop and restaurant and coffee house. During summer time there are several guided tours daily. In local folklore, the castle is described as haunted by multiple ghosts and the tradition of storytelling inspired by the castle is continued in the summer events at the castle called "Strange stories and terrifying tales".

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