Greifenstein Castle, Heiligenstadt in Oberfranken, Germany

Schloss Greifenstein is a castle in the mountainous Fraconian Switzerland region of Upper Franconia, Germany. Since 1691 Greifenstein, the 'stone stronghold' of Heiligenstadt round its walls, is the seat of the noble Schenk von Stauffenberg family. Greifenstein is a prominent feature of the modern tourist itinerary called the Burgenstraße.

The Gothic castle that was first noted in 1172 was ruined and pillaged during the Peasants' war of 1524-1525 and was subsequently rebuilt. Then Marquard Sebastian von Schenk von Stauffenberg, Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg, took possession and rebuilt Greifenstein in Baroque style from 1691 to 1693, under the direction of the Bavarian architect Leonhard Dientzenhofer; consequently, as a seat of the bishop it is sometimes called Greifenstein Palais, though the aofficial bishop's palace stood (and still stands) in Bamberg.

A comprehensive restoration was carried out by Otto Philipp Schenk, Graf von Stauffenberg, in 1975–77.

References:

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User Reviews

Christine (2 years ago)
Very nice weapon chamber and library. Rather short excursion with no photos allowed -- probably would spend the money on another historical site in future.

Vamsi-Krishna Dasari (2 years ago)
Nice place. Not allowed to take the pictures inside place.

ammootje (5 years ago)
It costs €6 to get a German guided tour of an hour through the weapon chambers and some rooms in the castle, including the church and library.

Oleg Shevtsov (5 years ago)
1) Excursion was very quick, it was not possible to examine items on display, especially weapons collection. 2) Taking pictures inside was also prohibited. As for the rest - good place to visit, can recommend.

Joseph Rodriguez (6 years ago)
Great Castle for picture taking, beautiful road leading into the entrance.

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