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Feb 5, 2024 · By Carl Austin · Last updated on February 5, 2024. To visit a German castle is to step into a fairy tale setting, where castles sit atop high mountain peaks, their towers and turrets reaching to the sky. Germany is famous for its castles, with their pasts filled with knights, dukes and the devastation of wars.
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Sep 30, 2019 · The 20 best castles in Germany. There are over 25,000 castles in Germany we've picked our favourites including Neuschwanstein, Heidelberg, Eltz, and more...
Oct 28, 2022 · Consult the castle’s website for more information and to download maps of the best routes.
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- Visiting German Castles and Palaces
- German Castles to Visit
- German Palaces to Visit
As an architectural work and from a historical and archaeological perspective, castles exist only in Europe and the Middle East and were built by European nobility during the Middle Ages. Castles are always fortified for protection and would serve as the private residence of a nobleman or lord. Palaces are a broader category describing ornate homes...
With hundreds of palaces and castles throughout Germany, no matter where you are in this country there is bound to be one nearby. We’ve made a list of 18 must-see German palaces and castles that feel like something out of a fairy tale. Some are set in the countrysideothers can be found in bustling city centers, buteach one is worth a visit.
1. Lichtenstein Castle, Honau
One of Germany’s younger castles, Lichtenstein Castle was built in the Gothic Revival style in 1842.The word Lichtenstein means “shining stone” in German, and this castle was built with every intention of being a sparkling gem. An older, medieval castle lays in ruins just a few hundred meters away. It was these ruins that served as the setting inspiration for Wilhelm Hauff’s famous novel, Lichtenstein. Seized by the romantic nostalgia of the novel, architect Carl Alexander Heidelhoff erected...
2. Heidelberg Castle, Heidelberg
Heidelberg is a quaint university city,and highly popular tourist destination,nestled in the Neckar Valley. Famous for being the birthplace of German Romanticism and the backdrop for the works of Schiller, Goethe, and Eichendorff, Heidelberg is also the largest German city that was not bombed during WWII. While every other major city in Germany underwent major rebuilding after the war, Heidelberg boasts a full city center of buildings that are hundreds of years old. The ruins of the Heidelber...
3. Neuschwanstein Castle, Schwangau
The most visited castle in all of Germany, this Romanesque Revival castle attracts more than 1.3 million tourists yearly. Built in 1869 by King Ludwig II of Bavaria in patronage to the composer Richard Wagner, this highly romantic castle is likely Germany’s most famous. It’s mountaintop perch and striking views of the Bavarian country side have inspired numerous creative works including Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. It’s also featured in the movies Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Great Escape.A q...
1. Schwerin Palace, Schwerin
Schwerin Palace takes luxury to the next level. Not only is it an ornate palace, but it is also located on its own private island. Often called the Neuschwanstein of the North, the palace now serves as both a public tourist destination and the parliament for the Mecklenburg region. The palace is supposedly haunted by a well-meaning but troublesome spirit called Petermännchen. Only a few feet high and carrying a bunch of keys, this little ghost plays pranks, rewards the honest, and scares away...
2. Mannheim Baroque Palace, Mannheim
Mannheim is not the kind of idyllic European town that one might picture as home to a giant palace, especially in contrast to its famous neighbor Heidelberg. An industrial center bombed to rubble during WWII, Mannheim was rebuilt on a New York City-style grid without any regard to past neighborhoods. But,in the middle of this very modern, industrial city and university town sits a sprawling Baroque Palace. Part museum and part university building, the Mannheim Palace is a great example of old...
3. Sanssouci Palace, Potsdam
Built in the Rococo style, Sanssouci Palace was the summer home of the legendary Friedrich the Great, King of Prussia. Located in Potsdam, a quick trip from capital Berlin, Sanssouci is considerably modest as palaces go. It is only a single story and features only 10 main rooms. The sprawling gardens featuring wine grapes and fountains, however ensure that there is no mistaking the palace as anything but utterly regal. The first Prussian King to be a child of the Enlightenment, Friedrich insi...
Jan 31, 2022 · With as many as 20,000 castles in Germany, tourists have plenty to choose from. These range from the poster child of castles everywhere – Nueschwanstein – to little-known ruins of medieval fortresses, and are so plentiful that this list can only spotlight a small fraction of them.
Nueschwanstein- Hohenzollern Castle (Burg Hohenzollern)
- Schwerin Castle (Schweriner Schloss)
4 days ago · Our interactive map gives you an overview of Germany's most beautiful castles and mightiest fortresses. Fancy some more great Germany content? Then you'll find the 100 most beautiful sights in Germany here and extraordinary travel destinations in Germany here. 1. Neuschwanstein Castle . The best known and also one of the most famous castles in ...
Map of the Best Castles in Germany You haven’t really experienced Europe in all its glory until you’ve visited a castle or two, and Germany definitely has more than its fair share of beautiful, famous castles.
