Cadolzburg Castle, Cadolzburg, Germany

Cadolzburg Castle to be seen nowadays is from the 13th to 18th century and was used as one of the residences of the Hohenzollern dynasty as burgraves of Nuremberg. Frederick I. of Brandenburg rebuilt it entirely, and later died there in 1440. For the church dedicated to St. Cecilia he donated the altar (1420/25), on which he is depicted together with his wife Elisabeth of Bavaria-Landshut in the middle part, right under the crucifixion scene. The side parts show St. Cecilia together with their groom, St. Valerian. The altar was gifted to Frederick III. on his request and moved to Berlin. The original is today in the Jagdschloss Grunewald, but the church displays a copy. The Castle was not damaged during the Thirty Years' War.

1933–1945 a part of the castle, the so-called Neues Schloss (New Palace) was used as a Gebietsführerschule by the Hitler Youth. At the end of the war the castle burned down and was left a ruin for various decades. Since 1979 the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes together with the Bauamt Nuremberg-Erlangen is responsible for the reconstruction and maintenance of the castle. The reconstruction started in 1982 with the Castle itself and was finished in 2007 with the new creation of the gardens. For seven years the inner and outer parts of the castle were open to the public and events were held.

In 2013, it was decided to transform the Altes Schloss (Old Palace) into an experiential museum. In 2017 it was opened under the name 'HerrschaftsZeiten. Erlebnis Cadolzburg'.

South to the Main Castle exists an Antecastle (Vorburg) consisting of multiple buildings from the 17th and 18th century and a walled garden. The Wall Tower with the included clock is a gothic element from the 13th/14th century.

User Reviews

C. George (2 years ago)
A nice place for a day trip with children. The entry fees for the castle is not much and the story is narrated in such a way that children too listen to it. A tour inside the castle and the dance steps and its recording is soo good. Children have some interactive stuffs to do.

Trey Tollison (2 years ago)
Quaint and quiet castle in a beautiful little village about 45 minutes outside of Nuremberg. Very big contrast to the crowds at the imperial castle in the city it was almost empty when we visited on a Sunday afternoon. The castle was rebuilt after being destroyed in WWII but they did an excellent job with it and are careful to point out original and rebuilt parts and mostly used the original stone. The authentically and functional reconstructed crane and the kitchens are both really impressive. You also get nice views of the countryside. They have several interactive exhibits for kids and adults alike. Taking our time the tour probably takes a bit more than an hour to see everything including the gardens but you could do it quicker. The surrounding village was very low key but there is a lovely ice cream shop to sit at near and several restaurants along with a small art gallery. However most things will be closed on a midday weekend visit. Also as with most places in Germany ensure you have an ample supply of cash on hand as very few places will accept credit cards. If you take the train in this is literally the last stop on the line so just be aware of the schedule, from the station a city bus does make occasional trips up the hill to near the castle or you can Walk it. We found the incline and walk to be very manageable as far as castle visiting goes. If you have a little extra time in this region and would like to get out of the city a bit I would absolutely recommend this location.

Greg Lengkeek (2 years ago)
Awesome partially restored castle, so many areas to explore. Good interactive areas and hands on displays. Agreed some displays are only in German, translated them with Google photo. Was fortunate to see the local beekeeper working that day!

Sean Murphy (2 years ago)
Pleasent walk castle is closed on Mondays. Food place in grounds parking on main street

Jessica L (2 years ago)
Pretty cool castle. It has been restored very well. About 30% of the signs have English translations?. This is a great castle for children and those that love learning through interactivity. All sorts of screens with games and puzzles to help you learn about how life was in the Middle Ages. We visited on a Tuesday in January. We we’re almost the only guests! Maybe this is normal for German museums, but I didn’t appreciate the security staff quietly staring at me. I can tell they protect the castle very well, but it would be more pleasant if they were to offer to answer questions about the installations. Maybe they were timid that we spoke English and German?

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

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