Thuisbrunn Castle, Gräfenberg, Germany

Thuisbrunn Castle is located centrally within the parish of Thuisbrunn in the municipality of Gräfenberg in the Bavarian province of Upper Franconia. After having been destroyed and rebuilt several times, the castle is now in private ownership.

The spur castle was first mentioned in 1348 and Lord Hiltpolt of Mayenthal named as the castle lord (Burgherr) of Thuisbrunn. In 1388, during the South German War of the Cities, it was destroyed by Nuremberg troops and thereafter given to the burgraves of Nuremberg as a fief. In 1420 the castle was again wrecked during the Bavarian War by troops of Duke Louis of Ingolstadt. However, when the village of Thuisbrunn was destroyed in July 1449 by Nuremberg soldiers and again in 1460 during the Princes' War, the castle remained undamaged.

In 1553, during the Second Margrave War, the castle was once more destroyed by Nuremberg troops. By 1558 only the district office (Amtshaus) and the bergfried had been rebuilt. During the Thirty Years' War and thereafter, Thuisbrunn and the castle were plundered seven times by Imperial, Swedish and Bavarian soldiers. In 1667, the Vogtei office was probably built in place of the old district office; apart from this house and the bergfried the castle remained a ruin.

In 1816, the cartographer, Johann Christoph Stierlein, made for the first time a very precise map of the castle area and its surviving buildings. Following the seizure of the estates by the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1806 during the Napoleonic Era, the Vogtei office was used as a forestry office. Towards the end of the Second World War the castle was shelled by American troops. In 1961 it was sold into private ownership.

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User Reviews

ToodLee (2 years ago)
Privately owned, therefore only visible from the outside. The paths around it are nice but that has nothing to do with the castle. Those who come for the castle will be disappointed. The disappointment can be endured quite well in the inn. ;)

Oliver Frank (4 years ago)
The Leithen trails around Thuisbrunn and the castle are always beautiful, especially in spring with poor meadow plants and in winter always with a special flair

S. Seba (4 years ago)
The castle cannot be visited and is certainly not the prettiest from the outside. The landscape around it is all the more beautiful. Small Leiten trails are suitable for hiking with children and the rocky surroundings invite you to explore.

April Arm (6 years ago)
Love it here

Alex Freke-Morin (7 years ago)
It's nice but you can't go in and you can only see it up close from a single view point. Although the view is nice that and a info sign is all you get (it's free) I wouldn't go out of my way to see it but if you happen to be here anyway it's nice.

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