Sommersdorf Castle, Sommersdorf, Germany

Sommersdorf takes its name from the noble Sunnemannesdorf family who settled in the area in the 13th century. Ludwig von Eyb built the castle in the 14th century. A noteworthy family member is his grandson, Albrecht von Eyb, who was born at the castle and later became Germany’s first humanistic writer.

In 1550 the von Crailsheim family took possession of the castle. A year later, Wolf von Crailsheim introduced Protestantism to Sommersdorf. The Thirty Years War (1618-1648) brought plundering, burning, and looting to the town, but the castle remained relatively unscathed.

By the middle of the 19th century, renovations on the castle began, replacing the drawbridge by a stone one, as well as constructing a new top floor of the castle. For the last 100 years, the von Crailsheim family have lived at Schloss Sommersdorf.

This Bavarian castle boasts everything a castle lover could desire: moat, turrets, towers, spiral staircases, and a stone bridge.

References:

Pamela Barrus

User Reviews

The Great Gatsby (11 months ago)
Amazing moated castle situated in a small out of the way village. Within biking distance to Altmühlsee and Brombachsee

S Hicks (3 years ago)
Cool random place to see. I wasn't sure how far on the property I could go to take pics.

Michael McCoy (3 years ago)
Unbelievable that you can actually stay here! Small but comfortable rooms for rent inside of this 500+ year old historic castle with moat, defensive walls and towers, tunnel, etc. Spent Christmas there and my kids will never forget it! Got a person tour from owner, dame family for hundreds of years.

Angela Murphy (6 years ago)
Very pretty location. Parking is a bit tricky as most GPS will take to resident parking. There is a small parking area on a country road out side the castle by the yellow lady statue. You can't go into the building but can walk around outside the moat and see the castle, bridge, gate and old wall very well. This is a very quick trip, I don't think we even spent 30 minutes there.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright discopalace

Historic Site of the week

Sigmaringen Castle

Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.

The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.

These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.

Sommersdorf 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

Sigmaringen Castle