Plassenburg Castle, Kulmbach, Germany

Plassenburg is one of the most impressive castles in Germany and a symbol of the Kulmbach. It was first mentioned in 1135. The Plassenberg family were ministerial of the counts of Andechs (later the dukes of Andechs-Meranien) and used as their seat the Plassenburg. The House of Guttenberg, a prominent Franconian noble family, traces its origins back to 1149 with a Gundeloh v. Plassenberg. The name Guttenberg is derived from Guttenberg and was adopted by a Heinrich von Blassenberg around 1310. From 1340, the Hohenzollerns governed from Plassenburg castle their territories in Franconia till 1604. The Plassenburg was fortress and residence for the Hohenzollerns.

The castle was destroyed in 1554 at the end of the second Margravian war (1552–1554) of margrave Albert Alcibiades. The Plassenburg was later rebuilt by the architect Caspar Vischer as an impressive stronghold and as a huge palace. In 1792, Margrave Alexander sold the Plassenburg to his cousin, the King of Prussia. A combined Bavarian and French army under the command of Jérôme Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, besieged the Plassenburg in 1806. In 1810, Kulmbach became Bavarian and the castle was used as a prison and as a military hospital. During the second world war, the Organisation Todt used the Plassenburg as a training camp and recreation home. Today, it is a museum and a venue for cultural events.

It contains a significant collection of Prussian military artifacts and portraits.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Sibylle Turner (2 years ago)
Only worth visiting if you want the view over Kulmbach. We have seen better. There is no parking at the castle. Roads are either one-way or lead nowhere if you follow Google Maps. Signage in town insufficient. You can do a self-guided tour to the first floor army museum and can see one room with an ancient bed plus the church. It cost about €4.50. A guided tour includes another floor. The walk on foot to the castle is 22° incline, very steep. Recommend to skip castle. There are better ones.

Lou Fegans (2 years ago)
Parking: free parking in the castle itself and along the right hand side of the turnaround. Attraction: worth a walk around the outside of the castle (20min) the museums inside are unimpressive. Cute town worth visiting but castle can be skipped

Astor Voltaires (2 years ago)
Really beautiful place. You can enter for free. The best was the view from the city. Recommended

Dermot (3 years ago)
Lovely castle, great views. Unfortunately tours in German only. .

Petkol (3 years ago)
Nice place. Interesting museum. Beautiful view

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Max Streltcov

Historic Site of the week

House of Blackheads

House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.

The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.

Plassenburg Castle

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

House of Blackheads