Lichtenstein Castle, Honau, Germany

Lichtenstein Castle is a Gothic Revival castle built in the 1840s. Historically, there has been a castle on the site located at the Albtrauf, above the source of the river Echaz since around 1200. It was twice destroyed, once in the Reichskrieg"s War of 1311 and again by the city-state of Reutlingen in 1377. The castle was not reconstructed and subsequently fell to ruin. It is today known as Burg Alt-Lichtenstein.

A new castle was built c. 1390 around 500 m away from the ruin, in the location where today"s structure stands. After 1567 it lost its role as a lordly seat and fell into disrepair.

In 1802, the land came into the hands of King Frederick I of Württemberg, who dismantled the ruins of the castle and built a hunting lodge there. In 1837, the land was bought from King Wilhelm I of Württemberg by his cousin Duke Wilhelm of Urach, Count of Württemberg, who, inspired by Wilhelm Hauff"s novel Lichtenstein, added the current castle in 1840–42. The romantic Gothic Revival design of the castle was created by the architect Carl Alexander Heideloff. In 1842, the castle was inaugurated in the presence of the king.

Today, the castle is still owned by the Dukes of Urach, but is open to visitors. The castle contains a large collection of historic weapons and armour.

The romantic design of the castle inspired several other buildings. The design of the castle at Lietzow was based on Lichtenstein. Likewise, the house known as 'Leckzapfen' in Osthofen took its cue from Lichtenfels. A Cape Town businessman, Reynier Fritz, who was well known in advertising circles, first saw the 19th-century Schloss Lichtenstein in the land of his ancestors, and decided to one day replicate it in Hout Bay. He was able to start building in 1986 and 12 years later it was completed. He eventually turned it into a guest house before he died there. Sometime after his death, his widow, Christine, sold it to an overseas buyer.

References:

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User Reviews

Immaculate Comics (3 months ago)
This is a beautiful little place with a small e trance fee. It’s usually not crowded and it is in a woodsy set to. It won’t take long to see everything. There is a large parking lot that charges about 2 euros so you will need cash.

Annerose Walz (5 months ago)
This little fairy tale castle is fun to visit. We went in the middle of November on a Sunday. Parking was still available shortly before noon. We had a wonderful lunch at the nearby Försterhaus and then took the tour. The guide was very knowledgeable and made the tour fun and interactive. It's a small castle, the tour didn't take that long. The view outside was amazing even with the fog in the valley.

Drew McGee (5 months ago)
A really great stop, especially in autumn with all the changing leaves. A castle literally built based on a novel - a fantasy writer's dream! We only walked the outer perimeter and drove down into Honau to see the castle from below. Parking was only 2€ and we saw an amazing tree-top climbing park up there too.

Jos Bonnie (6 months ago)
We visited Schloss Lichtenstein on a day when the weather could've been a little bit better. This made the views less spectacular than what could've been on a blue-sky day. Still a fantastic place to visit.

Chan AI (7 months ago)
Very beautiful castle with jungle tracking track near the castle if you want to explore. Highly recommend to buy the 12 euro ticket with the tour guide, they will bring you inside the main castle. The interior of the castle is so beautiful, with well preserved antique items, totally worth the money! Unfortunately no cameras allowed in the castle :( anyways, DO NOT pick the 4 euro please, you will regret it!

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Klearchos Kapoutsis

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