Leuchtenberg Castle, Leuchtenberg, Germany

Leuchtenberg Castle was built around 1300 by the landgraves of Leuchtenberg, an influential medieval aristocratic family. Presumably there was already a fortification on the hill before. The noble family died in 1646. After the death of the last landgrave, the castle deteriorated rapidly, in 1842 it was completely destroyed in a major fire.

In the 20th century the castle ruins wer restored and today it is used as an open-air stage and is the venue of the annual castle festival Leuchtenberg.

User Reviews

Václav Vracovský (14 months ago)
Beautiful place.

Levi Marks (14 months ago)
Interesting and well maintained castle ruin surrounded by quaint village.

Olena V (14 months ago)
Visiting this castle was a great experience. Even kids had fun. The views from different levels of the castle are beautiful!

Alex Place (2 years ago)
Great value for the money. Beautiful views of the surrounding countryside and a nice little spot to grab a beer. They have a summer concert/play series and can see the calendar on the website.

Fai Nesbitt (2 years ago)
We went today and had a wonderful time. The grounds are well kept, clean, and aesthetically pleasing. This burgruine gave us a good workout as well. We will visit again when our family comes in the Fall Season.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright levaletfrancois

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Château de Falaise

Château de Falaise is best known as a castle, where William the Conqueror, the son of Duke Robert of Normandy, was born in about 1028. William went on to conquer England and become king and possession of the castle descended through his heirs until the 13th century when it was captured by King Philip II of France. Possession of the castle changed hands several times during the Hundred Years' War. The castle was deserted during the 17th century. Since 1840 it has been protected as a monument historique.

The castle (12th–13th century), which overlooks the town from a high crag, was formerly the seat of the Dukes of Normandy. The construction was started on the site of an earlier castle in 1123 by Henry I of England, with the 'large keep' (grand donjon). Later was added the 'small keep' (petit donjon). The tower built in the first quarter of the 12th century contained a hall, chapel, and a room for the lord, but no small rooms for a complicated household arrangement; in this way, it was similar to towers at Corfe, Norwich, and Portchester, all in England. In 1202 Arthur I, Duke of Brittany was King John of England's nephew, was imprisoned in Falaise castle's keep. According to contemporaneous chronicler Ralph of Coggeshall, John ordered two of his servants to mutilate the duke. Hugh de Burgh was in charge of guarding Arthur and refused to let him be mutilated, but to demoralise Arthur's supporters was to announce his death. The circumstances of Arthur's death are unclear, though he probably died in 1203.

In about 1207, after having conquered Normandy, Philip II Augustus ordered the building of a new cylindrical keep. It was later named the Talbot Tower (Tour Talbot) after the English commander responsible for its repair during the Hundred Years' War. It is a tall round tower, similar design to the towers built at Gisors and the medieval Louvre.Possession of the castle changed hands several times during the Hundred Years' War. The castle was deserted during the 17th century. Since 1840, Château de Falaise has been recognised as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.

A programme of restoration was carried out between 1870 and 1874. The castle suffered due to bombardment during the Second World War in the battle for the Falaise pocket in 1944, but the three keeps were unscathed.

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