Waischenfeld Castle, Waischenfeld, Germany

Waischenfeld Castle (Burgruine Waischenfeld) is a ruined rock castle on a rocky plateau a few metres west of the town of Waischenfeld in the province of Upper Franconia.

The first clues to a castle in the village of Waischenfeld date to 1079, when Wirint von Waischenfeld was mentioned in the records as a member of an important noble family in the area of the middle Wiesent. The Waischenfelds were related to the dynastic family of the lords of Aufseß.

The hill castle was first recorded in 1122 as Urbs. Following the death of Ulrich of Waischenfeld, the last in the Waischenfeld family line, in 1216 the castle and lordship of Waischenfeld went to Eberhard III of Greifenstein, who built a new fortress south of Waischenfeld, Schlüsselberg Castle. After the death of Conrad II of Schlüsselberg, the castle and town of Waischenfeld went in 1348 into the hands of the Bishopric of Bamberg.

In 1430 the castle was badly damaged during the Hussite Wars; it was then re-enfeoffed by the bishopric to the nobility between 1438 and 1562. It was destroyed again between 1552 and 1553 during the Second Margrave War, in which Margrave Albert Alcibiades of Brandenburg-Kulmbach fought mainly against the (Catholic) bishoprics in order to try to gain a supremacy in Franconia. During the conflict the castle was captured three times by the margrave's troops; after being plundered it was razed on 7 June 1553.

From about 1600, the old castle was used as a grain store and slowly fell into disrepair. The ruins were finally demolished in 1876/77 and 1889.

The tower known as the Steinerner Beutel ('Stone Bag') is the symbol of the town of Waischenfeld. The Romanesque round tower is roughly 13 metres high and stands on a limestone crag. It belongs to the northernmost part of the castle, the Rüssenbach castle estate. The tower was originally a bergfried or bergfried-like watchtower with an elevated entrance.

References:

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User Reviews

Ste van Windisch (2 years ago)
Very beautiful castle with gastronomy and viewing platform over Waischenfeld. Numerous free parking spaces are available directly on site. Within the castle walls there is a small playground and a lounger swing.

Michael Kla (3 years ago)
Beautiful old castle in an idyllic location, unfortunately the gastronomy was closed, will definitely come back again in the summer.

Roberto Gilardoni (4 years ago)
Definitely worth a visit. Don't miss the lookout platform reached by a flight of stairs at the end of the beer garden! It's free of charge.

Andreas Klaas (6 years ago)
A nice spot for photos in the early morning with good light and hoarfrost. Good panoramic view.

Martin Haenraets (7 years ago)
We visited the castle for a medieval spectacle. We were here for the first time four years ago and were already extremely enthusiastic back then. What can I say, this time it was great. Fantastic ambience and met great people. Delicious food and delicious beer :-). It was great at the castle. I hope that the castle will also open its doors for the medieval festival in the coming years.

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