Leonrod Castle

Dietenhofen, Germany

The Leonrod water castle was built in the 13th century as the family seat and Ganerbenburg of the lords of Leonrod, who were descended from the lords of Buttendorf, in order to protect an important road link to the city of Nuremberg. The castle was first mentioned in 1235 with a Rudolf miles de Lewenrode.

In the 14th and 16th centuries structural changes were made to the castle. The castle survived the Thirty Years' War unscathed, but shortly afterwards, in 1651, it burned down as a result of negligence - attempts to burn off vegetation in the moat got out of hand - and it was never rebuilt. In the 17th and 18th century a hunting lodge was built. The castle is owned today by a community of heirs that go back to the aristocratic line that died out in 1951.

One of the members of the nobile family was Franz Leopold, Baron of Leonrod, who was Bishop of Eichstätt from 1867 to 1905 and is one of the most important bishops of this diocese.

This castle is surrounded by a deep moat. It has four buildings around a rectangular 20-metre-high bergfried with an elevated entrance, 9 metres above ground level. The bergfried has a ground plan 6 x 6 metres in area and a wall thickness of about 2 metres. In the outer ward is the castle chapel, St. George's, which dates to 1327, and the hunting lodge with its hipped roof and timber-framed upper storey. Today, the castle still has the almost fully preserved bergfried, considerable wall remains, vaults, the castle well in the courtyard and an outlying tower.

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Details

Founded: 13th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

james wright (3 years ago)
Beautiful quiet place. Nice walking trails
Goz Gozeruuu (Gozu) (3 years ago)
A little hard to find but very nice. Need to be very careful because when is wet, you can slide very easy and fall.
T S (3 years ago)
It is an okay place to visit for a couple of hours. I don't recommend anyone to go during the winter. Overall, it is an a-okay place with the family in the spring or summer.
Seculici Veronica (3 years ago)
A bit abandoned place and with need of work but looks interesting. Not a place for kind cause there are many dangerous hazards. No parking there and as i see visiting is on your own risk cause stones may fall.
Martin Kolarjk (4 years ago)
Unfortunately, we as cyclists could not find the access
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