Willibaldsburg Castle

Eichstätt, Germany

The castle complex on the Willibaldsberg was begun in 1355 and extended in the second half of the 16th century under Martin von Schaumberg. It was transformed into an impressive residence by Elias Holl during the reign of Prince-Bishop Johann Conrad von Gemmingen (1595-1612) – at this stage of the building's history the towers were crowned by onion domes.

Gemmingen also laid out the renowned botanical garden Hortus Eystettensis. Based on the copperplate engravings illustrating the plant collection which were created in 1613 by Basilius Besler, the Bastion Garden opened in 1998 reproduces the plant world of the original botanical garden.

References:

Bayerische Schlösserverwaltung

Address

Burgstraße 19, Eichstätt, Germany

See all sites in Eichstätt

Details

Founded: 1355
Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Habsburg Dynasty (Germany)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.schloesser.bayern.de

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Eichstätt Cathedral (1,1 km)
Pfünz Roman Fort (7 km)
Rebdorf Abbey (0,7 km)

Harburg Castle (37,3 km)
Neuburg Castle (17,5 km)
St. Moritz Church (23,7 km)
Ingolstadt New Castle (24 km)
Ingolstadt Münster (23,4 km)
Heilsbronn Abbey Church (56,4 km)
Wolfstein Castle (50,3 km)
Lichtenau Fortress (55,3 km)
Scheyern Abbey (48,4 km)

User Reviews

Eternal Voyageur (3 months ago)
Take at least 1-2 hours for the main museum. The fossils are fantastic, with some very special specimens like the world famous Archeopteryx. The reviews that said it's boring probably expected Disneyland.

maxim vincent (14 months ago)
Very interesting museum on a nice location!

Mauricio Villegas (16 months ago)
Great fish, squid, and early birds. Probably best I have ever seen

raptorstorm1 (2 years ago)
A collection of incredibly well preserved Jurassic fossils all kept in a charming medieval castle. Highly recommend visiting if you're in the area. Be sure to see the Eichstätt archaeopteryx.

Scott Winters (2 years ago)
A fantastic museum with many fossils you won’t see anywhere else, especially the Eichstatt Archeaopteryx specimen! An absolute must for anyone interested in paleontology!

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright stahli36

Historic Site of the week

Celje Castle

Celje Castle was once the largest fortification on Slovenian territory. The first fortified building on the site (a Romanesque palace) was built in the first half of the 13th century by the Counts of Heunburg from Carinthia on the stony outcrop on the western side of the ridge where the castle stands. It had five sides, or four plus the southern side, which was a natural defence. The first written records of the castle date back to between 1125 and 1137; it was probably built by Count Gunter. In the western section of the castle, there was a building with several floors. Remains of the walls of this palatium have survived. In the eastern section, there was an enclosed courtyard with large water reservoirs. The eastern wall, which protects the castle from its most exposed side, was around three metres thicker than the rest of the curtain wall. The wall was topped with a parapet and protected walkway.