Stolberg Castle (German: Schloss Stolberg) is a palace in the town of Stolberg in the Harz Mountains of Germany. It dates to the 13th century and stands above the town on a hill with steep drops on three sides. Since 2003 it has been completely restored and renovated by the German Foundation for Monument Conservation.

Its oldest element, the round tower, dates to the time around 1200, the more recent elements were built in the Renaissance style between 1539 and 1547. In the southeast wing is the Classicist Great Reception Room (Großes Empfangszimmer) and the Red Room (Roter Saal) designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The castle was given its present appearance thanks to rebuilding between 1690 and 1700. Until they were dispossessed in 1945, the castle was owned by the family of the Prince of Stolberg-Stolberg.

From 1947 the castle was used as a holiday home for the Free German Trade Union Federation (FDGB). The work carried out for this purpose and its numerous guests left behind many traces in the fabric of the building and the appearance of the interior. In 1990, ownership of the castle was transferred to the Treuhand and it then stood empty. A private investor bought it in 1993, in order to open it as an hotel. Inadequate roof renovation work subsequently caused damage through damp and dry rot. After the hotel project foundered in 1994, the Stolberg Castle stood empty again and was in danger of being completely lost. At the end of 2002 the German Foundation for Monument Conservation took over the construction work following an agreement with the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The fabric of the building was made safe and gradually renovated. In 2008 the Prince's Wing (Fürstenflügel) opened its doors and, in 2009, the castle chapel was reconsecrated.

By 2008 about 12 million euros of support had been made available by the German Federation, the state of Saxony-Anhalt, the European Union, the town of Stolberg and the German Foundation for Monument Conservation for the repairs to the building. Since March 2008 parts of the castle have been open to the public again and used as a tourist centre and reception venue (Haus des Gastes).

Stolberg Castle

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Hohnstein Castle (German: Burg Hohnstein) is one of the largest and best-preserved castle ruins in Germany and is located near Neustadt in the vicinity of Nordhausen in Thuringia.

The ruins are located on a high, rocky spur which today is covered in woods, about 1 km northeast of the village of Neustadt on the southern edge of the Harz mountains.

Honstein Castle was built in the time of the Hohenstaufen-Guelph conflict for the throne. Its foundation is attributed to Konrad von Sangerhausen, a relative of the legendary Thuringian count, Louis the Springer.

The Counts of Hohnstein, together with the Counts of Ilefeld who had married into them, inherited the lordship of the South Harz from Konrad. The newly founded dynasty of the Honstein-Ilfeld counts introduced the family Christian name, Elger, and chose Honstein Castle as their family seat; the modest Ilburg in nearby Ilfeld was probably abandoned at this point in time. The first mention of Honstein Castle was in 1202. Like the Thuringian landgraves, the Honstein clan rapidly amassed a considerable amount of territory, which included the regions around Arnstadt and Gotha in the Thuringian Basin. The first boom period for the family during the 13th century was followed by a loss of importance when, in 1315, the estate was divided between several family lines. Honstein Castle soon became militarily outdated. In 1380 it was captured for the first time and then again in 1412 during a family dispute, which degenerated into the so-called Flegler War, during the course of which the Hohnstein counts lost their family castle.

During the Peasants' War, Honstein was still seen as a secure fortification and was therefore selected by the abbott of Ilfeld Abbey to protect himself and the abbey treasure. Whilst the Counts of Hohnstein saw out the end of their reign at Lohra Castle (they died out in 1593), Hohnstein Castle was sold into the possession of the Counts of Stolberg, who modernised the fort militarily and structurally at great expense (including an artillery tower) and turned it into a typical Renaissance Schloss. During this period it became one of the largest castles in the Harz.

During the Thirty Years War, however, Hohnstein Castle was destroyed by fire. Having been requisitioned in 1627 by an imperial officer, Colonel du Vuer, troops from the Electorate of Saxony under Lieutenant Colonel Vitztum von Eckstedt stormed the castle and drove out the imperial forces. Because Vitztum knew that he could not hold the castle for any length of time he placed the Counts of Stolberg under pressure so that he could extort money from them in return for handing it over. The Stollbergs could not (or would not) meet this ultimatum, so Vitztum had his soldiers set fire to the already heavily plundered castle on Christmas Eve of 1627. According to tradition, Vitztum knew how to foil every attempt by guards on duty to put the fires out. Only a few usable remnants could be recovered from the blackened ruins following the withdrawal of Vitztum's troops; these included the clock from the castle chapel and the altar of the palace chapel. In the course of the following decades and centuries the castle ruins continued to decay. In 1908 an inn was built below the ruins. After 1990 safety and restoration work on the castle ruins was started. In Easter 2001 the castle was once again re-occupied.

The ruins of Hohnstein Castle may be visited without a guide. It has a checkpoint (No. 98) on the Harzer Wandernadel hiking trail network by the cafe just beyond the gateway.

Hohnstein Castle

Schloss Heringen has been recognised as a cultural monument of national importance and had extensively renovations in recent years. The walls, which are around 700 years old, are five storeys high (around 34 metres). The fabric of the structure has remained largely intact.

Whilst the town has burnt down five times, the castle has always been largely spared. Countess Clara von Schwarzburg, the daughter of the Duke of Braunschweig-Lüneburg, is the most famous resident of the castle. From 1598 to 1658 it was her widow's residence, after the early death of her husband Wilhelm I Count of Schwarzburg.
However, the history of the castle started long before Countess Clara lived there. From around 1322 to 1327 the Hohenstein counts built a Romanesque castle in Heringen - the "Haus zur Goldenen Aue". At that time, the village of Heringen had probably existed for several hundred years since the early Middle Ages. The castle gave Heringen an economic upswing and granted it the status of a town. At the beginning of the 16th century, extensive renovations turned the castle into a Renaissance style palace.
The castle houses historical finds such as a corner shop, furniture and kitchens from the 1930s and 1950s, a rural outpatient clinic and changing special exhibitions showcasing regional artists.

https://en.harzinfo.de

Schloss Heringen

The Imperial Castle of Kyffhausen (German: Reichsburg Kyffhausen) is a medieval castle ruin, situated in the Kyffhäuser mountain range in the German state of Thuringia, close to the border with Saxony-Anhalt. Probably founded about 1000, it superseded the nearby imperial palace (Kaiserpfalz) of Tilleda under the rule of the Hohenstaufen emperors during the 12th and 13th centuries. Together with the Kyffhäuser Monument, erected on the castle grounds between 1890 and 1896, it is today a popular tourist destination.

The ruins of the imperial castle of Kyffhausen are located on the northeastern rim of the range. They stand on the Kyffhäuserburgberg (439.7 m above sea level (NN)), an approximately 800 m (2,600 ft) long eastern foothill. The premises are part of the Steinthaleben parish, about 3 km (1.9 mi) northeast of the village of Rathsfeld (de), in the Thuringian municipality of Kyffhäuserland, near the town of Bad Frankenhausen in Kyffhäuserkreis. The Goldene Aue ("Golden Water Meadows", ca. 160 m above NN) plain in the north, including the villages of Sittendorf (de) and Tilleda roughly 280 metres below, are parts of the municipality of Kelbra in the Mansfeld-Südharz district of Saxony-Anhalt.

The castle grounds are part of the Kyffhäuser Nature Park (de) – situated about 300 m (980 ft) south of its northern boundary.

Archaeological findings of several shoe-last celts at the summit denote a settlement already in the Neolithic period. Excavated Bronze Age ceramics may stem from devastated tumuli erected on the prominent spur. In the 1930s, remnants of fortress dating from the Hallstatt era were discovered.

A first castle high above the Tilleda Kaiserpfalz was probably erected under the rule of the Salian emperor Henry IV, in order to protect his royal domains south of the Harz mountains. Nevertheless, it was not mentioned until 1118, when it was demolished by the Saxon duke Lothair of Supplinburg after his forces had defeated Emperor Henry V at the 1115 Battle of Welfesholz.

Reconstruction started shortly afterwards and was accomplished under the rule of the Hohenstaufen emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who stayed downhill at Tilleda several times. The rebuilt castle complex of bright red sandstone then spread over large parts of the Kyffhäuserberg ridge; administrated by Hohenstaufen ministeriales, it was meant as an expression of imperial power in the region.

After the fall of the House of Hohenstaufen, the fortress lost its strategic importance. Rudolf of Habsburg, elected King of the Romans in 1273, ceded the premises to the Counts of Beichlingen, who from 1375 held the castle as vassals of the Wettin landgraves of Thuringia. Given in pawn to the comital House of Schwarzburg shortly afterwards and seized by the Counts of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in 1407, the fortress was already mentioned as a ruin in the 15th century.

From the time of Weimar Classicism in the late 18th century, even more in the Romantic era, the picturesque castle ruins became a popular destination for writers such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who wandered in the Kyffhäuser range together with Duke Karl August of Saxe-Weimar in 1776. The king in the mountain legend of Frederick Barbarossa, perpetuated by Friedrich Rückert in an 1817 poem, became a symbol of rising German nationalism, illustrated by regular meetings of Burschenschaft fraternities and finally by the erection of the Kyffhäuser Monument from 1890 onwards. In 1900 the Kyffhäuserbund veterans' and reservists' association took its name from the historic site.

Kyffhausen Castle

Das Schloss Hue de Grais, auch als Neuwilckesches Rittergut bekannt, steht in Wolkramshausen im Landkreis Nordhausen in Thüringen.

Geschichte

Ursprünglich erbaut wurde das Gutshaus eines kleinen Ritterguts von 300 Mg landwirtschaftlicher Nutzfläche gegen 1680. Um 1720 wurde es im Auftrag eines geadelten Bauernsohns, Walrad Ludwig von Wilcke (1687–1747), auf alten Mauerresten neu errichtet. 1752 bis 1754 erfolgte ein Umbau mit Veränderungen des Raumgrundrisses und Aufbau der Zwerchhäuser durch seinen Sohn Wilhelm Ludwig von Wilcke (1721–1785), bei dem das Herrenhaus seine Ausstattung im Rokokostil erhielt. 1764 ließ dieser an der Nordseite im rechten Winkel zum Haupthaus die barocke Bibliothek anbauen.

1782 gelangte das Gut durch Heirat der Wilhelmine von Wilcke (1758–1826) mit Achilles François Ursin Hue de Grais (1734–1799) in den Besitz dieser Familie, in dem es bis 1956 blieb. Die Grafen Hue de Grais sind ein normannisches Adelsgeschlecht, das während der Französischen Revolution aus Frankreich floh und am Hof von Hessen-Kassel Zuflucht fand. Bekanntester Bewohner war Graf Robert Hue de Grais (1835–1922), Regierungspräsident des Regierungsbezirks Potsdam und Verfasser des in 26 Auflagen erschienenen Handbuchs der Verfassung und Verwaltung in Preußen und dem Deutschen Reiche. Nach dem Tod von dessen unverheirateter Tochter, Elsa Gräfin Hue de Grais, stand das Schloss von 1956 bis 1990 leer. Ab 1980 fanden erste umfangreiche Erhaltungsarbeiten an Gebäude und Park durch den Kulturbund der DDR statt.

Schloss Hue de Grais

From an architectural and art historical point of view Sondershausen Palace can be considered as one of the most important palace complexes in Thuringia. It is an irregular four-wing complex. With its imposing silhouette the former Schwarzburg residence dominates today's district town of Sondershausen in the Kyffhäuserkreis district.

History

There is proof that some of the oldest building fabrice of the castle dating from the end of the 13th century can be attributed to the Counts of Hohnstein.

The remaining tower was integrated under Count Günther XL of Schwarzburg when the Renaissance palace, consisting of the south, east and old north wings, was built between the 1530s and the 1550s.

Under Prince Christian William I of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, who reigned between 1666 and 1720, a busy building activity started in the 1680s. The three Renaissance wings of the palace were altered and enlarged in the Baroque style.

During the reign of Prince Christian Günther III of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, the new west and north rococo wings were started in 1764 under management of the Quedlinburg architect Johann Heinrich Breit and the former architect from Brunswick, Martin Peltier. At that time the palace received its final architectural layout of an irregular four-wing complex.

When Prince Günther Friedrich Carl II, who reigned from 1835 to 1880, engaged Carl Scheppig, a pupil of Karl Friedrich Schinkel, in 1836, his aim was to give most parts of the entire palace complex a completely new appearance. Financial constraints, however, limited this project to redesigning the eastern place area towards the market (palace terrace, guard house and stairs between 1837 and 1839), to rebuilding the rococo wings in the neo-classical style (1846–1851) and to erecting the new stables (1847–1849).

As the last building measure a two-storey gallery, connecting the tower and the east and south wings, was erected in 1914 to 1915.

Schloss Sondershausen

From an architectural and art historical point of view Sondershausen Palace can be considered as one of the most important palace complexes in Thuringia. It is an irregular four-wing complex. With its imposing silhouette the former Schwarzburg residence dominates today's district town of Sondershausen in the Kyffhäuserkreis district.

There is proof that some of the oldest building fabrice of the castle dating from the end of the 13th century can be attributed to the Counts of Hohnstein.

The remaining tower was integrated under Count Günther XL of Schwarzburg when the Renaissance palace, consisting of the south, east and old north wings, was built between the 1530s and the 1550s.

Under Prince Christian William I of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, who reigned between 1666 and 1720, a busy building activity started in the 1680s. The three Renaissance wings of the palace were altered and enlarged in the Baroque style.

During the reign of Prince Christian Günther III of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, the new west and north rococo wings were started in 1764 under management of the Quedlinburg architect Johann Heinrich Breit and the former architect from Brunswick, Martin Peltier. At that time the palace received its final architectural layout of an irregular four-wing complex.

When Prince Günther Friedrich Carl II, who reigned from 1835 to 1880, engaged Carl Scheppig, a pupil of Karl Friedrich Schinkel, in 1836, his aim was to give most parts of the entire palace complex a completely new appearance. Financial constraints, however, limited this project to redesigning the eastern place area towards the market (palace terrace, guard house and stairs between 1837 and 1839), to rebuilding the rococo wings in the neo-classical style (1846–1851) and to erecting the new stables (1847–1849).

As the last building measure a two-storey gallery, connecting the tower and the east and south wings, was erected in 1914 to 1915.

Prince Christian Günther gave the hall in order in 1760. The hall in the Rococo style extends over the two upper storeys and has galleries on both long sides. The dominant colors are blue and white, they reflect the state colors of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. In this hall one finds traces of traditional Baroque tectonics as well as transitional elements from Baroque to Neoclassicism and finally Rococo ornaments typical of the time. The large oval ceiling painting depicts the Callisto myth.

The construction of the hall going back to Count (later Prince) Christian Wilhelm of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen between 1680 and 1700. It is decorated in the style of the high Baroque with 22 ceiling paintings about scenes from Ovid's "Metamorphoses" and 16 larger-than-life figures in the round made of stucco and represents Greek gods. The fact that this hall was originally designed during the Renaissance explains the unusual proportions (26.6 x 13.2 metres) and the relatively low ceiling of 4.8 metres.

This room has preserved its original decorations from the 1770s. The name is derived from the wall covering consisting of small cut, polished and glazed tiles of plaster and limestone. In this form, the room is unique and it is known for its uniqueness as the "Amber Room" of Sondershausen.

Since 1994, the former residence of the princes of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen is the property of the Palace, Castle and Gardens Trust of Thuringia. Today it houses the Palace Museum of Sondershausen and the district school of music, called Carl-Schroeder-Konservatorium.

Sondershausen Palace

Das Große Schloss Blankenburg ist ein Bauwerk in der Stadt Blankenburg im Landkreis Harz (Sachsen-Anhalt). Es wurde im Wesentlichen in der Barockzeit auf der Grundlage älterer Bausubstanz errichtet.

Geschichte

Mittelalter

1123 griff Lothar von Süpplingenburg von der Blankenburg die Heimburg an. Die Lehnshoheit fiel später durch Heinrich den Stolzen, Vater Heinrichs des Löwen, an die Welfen.

Im Jahre 1128 erhielt Poppo aus dem fränkischen Adelsgeschlecht der Reginbodonen die Grafschaft als Lehen. Dessen Söhne teilten sich die Grafschaft: Konrad erhielt die Burg Regenstein, Siegfried I. die Blankenburg. Von einer Pilgerfahrt mit Heinrich dem Löwen kehrte Siegfried I. nicht mehr zurück. Er hinterließ zwei Söhne, Heinrich und Siegfried II.

1181 begann unter der Regie des Bischofs Dietrich von Halberstadt die Belagerung der Burg und Blankenburgs durch kaiserliche Heere. Kaiser Friedrich Barbarossa übernahm die Regierung.

1182 wurde Blankenburg erobert und schließlich zur Plünderung freigegeben. Die Brüder Heinrich und Siegfried II. gingen in Gefangenschaft, erhielten aber nach wiederhergestelltem Frieden die Grafschaft zurück. Der Neubau und eine großzügige Erweiterung der Burg begann.

Graf Heinrich übernahm 1190 die „erledigten“ Güter der Regensteiner und Siegfried II. behielt die Grafschaft Blankenburg, dessen Nachkommen bis 1343 Blankenburg in ihrem Besitz hielten. Danach fielen die Blankenburg und die Burg Regenstein zurück an die jüngere Heimburger Linie der Regensteiner.

1386 soll einer Legende nach die Blankenburg heimlich in der Nacht durch Dietrich von Wernigerode geplündert worden sein, während Graf Busso abwesend war. Als Beleg dieses Überfalls gilt ein in der Burgmauer befindliches Haupt.

Renaissance

Um 1500 sah sich Graf Ulrich XI. trotz großer Schulden gezwungen, den Ostflügel niederzulegen und einen schlossähnlichen Neubau errichten zu lassen. 1539 sagte sich Graf Ulrich V. von der katholischen Kirche los.

Am 19. November 1546 brach noch vor Bezug des Neubaus nachts ein Brand aus, der große Teile des alten Schlosses zerstörte. Der Legende nach wurde das Feuer durch den Einheizer des Schlosses unter der Treppe des alten Schlosses mit trockenem Reisig entfacht, nachdem dieser von Baptisten mit Gold bezahlt worden war. Die schlafenden Bewohner bemerkten erst spät den Brand. Über Dächer und Fenster flohen die Mägde und Diener die Wände hinunter, vergaßen jedoch ihre Herrschaften. Die jüngeren Kinder wurden, in Tüchern gewickelt, aus den Fenstern von den Wärterinnen abgelassen. Die schwangere Gräfin Magdalena von Regenstein wurde von den Flammen eingeschlossen. Die Gräfin bat ihren Gatten Graf Ulrich, sie zu verlassen, um sein Leben zu retten. Der Graf rettete sich durch das Abortfenster und hing von außen hinunter. Unten wurde der halbverbrannte Graf gerettet. Im Gedenken an den Brand und die Toten ließ Graf Ulrich eine Gedenktafel in lateinischer und deutscher Sprache anfertigen. Darauf sind der Graf, die Gräfin, die sechs Söhne und vier Töchter dargestellt.

1599 starb das Regensteiner Grafengeschlecht aus und das Schloss ging zurück an die Herzöge von Braunschweig.

Barock und Neuzeit

1705 begann der Umbau des Renaissanceschlosses zur barocken Residenz durch den Landbaumeister Hermann Korb im Auftrag von Herzog Ludwig Rudolf von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Die Umbauten sahen eine schlichtere und klarere Gliederung der äußeren Form vor und dauerten bis 1731. Repräsentationsräume (Grauer Saal, Redutensaal, Kaisersaal) im Innern und eine Hofkirche als mehrgeschossiges Oktogon entstanden.

Im Zusammenhang mit der Eheschließung Elisabeths Christine unter der Residenz Ludwig Rudolfs mit dem späteren Kaiser Karl VI. wurde durch Kaiser Joseph I. Blankenburg in den Status des Fürstentums erhoben. Elisabeth Christine wurde Mutter der späteren Kaiserin Maria Theresia.

Die Familie des Herzogs Ernst August von Braunschweig und seiner Gattin Herzogin Victoria Luise Prinzessin von Preußen bewohnte von 1930 bis zur Flucht und Enteignung im Jahre 1945 das Schloss, das der Familie im Zuge der Fürstenentschädigung 1924 als Privateigentum zugesprochen wurde. Im Jahre 1917 wurde hier die einzige Tochter des Herzogspaares, Friederike, die spätere Königin der Hellenen und Mutter der spanischen Königin Sophia, geboren. 1938 fand hier ihr Hochzeitsfest anlässlich der Heirat mit Prinz Paul von Griechenland, dem späteren König, statt. Berühmt wurde der Hof Blankenburgs durch glänzende Feste und Theateraufführungen.

1945 wurde das Schloss zum Volkseigentum erklärt und wurde von 1947 bis 1957 von der Sozialversicherung als Genesungsheim genutzt. Von 1957 war die Fachschule für Binnenhandel im Schloss untergebracht. Während dieser Nutzung wurde das Gebäude baulich instand gehalten. Nach der Schließung der Schule mit dem Ende der DDR im Jahr 1991 begann eine lange Zeit ohne Nutzung, die zu einer Unterlassung der Gebäudeunterhaltung führte. Pläne eines Käufers, der das Schloss im Jahr 1996 erworben hatte, um es zum Zentrum eines größeren Tourismusprojekts zu machen, wurden nicht realisiert. Jahre des Verfalls folgten, dessen Folge undichte Dächer, dauernde Durchfeuchtung des Gebäudes und Befall mit Hausschwamm waren und zur Gefahr des Einsturzes führten. Vandalismus- und Diebstahlsschäden sorgten für weiteren Niedergang.

Im Jahr 2004 wurden die ersten Sicherungsarbeiten am Schloss durchgeführt, die sich noch das ganze Jahr 2005 hinzogen. Zeitgleich begann man mit den Vorbereitungen für die Sanierung, mit der dann im Dezember 2006 begonnen wurde. Zum ersten Sanierungsabschnitt gehörte die Schlosskapelle im Kirchenflügel des Schlosses und die Pförtnerloge. 2008 wurde das Schloss zwangsversteigert, neuer Eigentümer wurde die Großes Schloss Blankenburg GmbH, die eine Tochtergesellschaft des Vereins Rettung Schloss Blankenburg e.V. ist. Während im Theaterflügel noch Sanierungsarbeiten stattfanden, wurde der Theatersaal nach fast 20 Jahren Leerstand am 28. Mai 2011 erstmals wieder genutzt. Eine Außenstelle des Standesamtes der Stadt Blankenburg wurde Anfang 2012 im Grauen Saal des Schloss eingerichtet, die erste Trauung fand im Mai desselben Jahres statt. Am 15. November 2013 wurde die Turmuhr wieder in Betrieb genommen und offiziell die Teilsanierung des Küchenflügels abgeschlossen.

Blankenburg Castle (Harz)

Falkenstein Castle (German: Burg Falkenstein), also formerly called New Falkenstein Castle (Burg Neuer Falkenstein) to distinguish it from Old Falkenstein Castle, is a German hill castle in the Harz Mittelgebirge, dating to the High Middle Ages. It is located in the town of Falkenstein between Aschersleben and Harzgerode.

The castle lies at a height of about 320 m (1,050 ft) above the Selke valley near the village of Meisdorf in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is located within extended forests, today a protected area (Naturschutzgebiet). Also nearby are the ruined medieval castles of Ackeburg and Old Falkenstein Castle.

Falkenstein was built between 1120 and 1150 by the lords of the Konradsburg who henceforth styled themselves as Grafen von Falkenstein (Counts).

According to legend, Falkenstein Castle has its origins in a murder: around 1080, the Saxon nobleman Egeno II of Konradsburg slew Count Adalbert II of Ballenstedt in a fight, whereupon the murderer was allegedly made to give up his family seat to be converted into a monastery. As a result, Egeno's son, Burchard of Konradsburg, had the new Falkenstein Castle built.

In 1220, during the reign of Prince Henry of Anhalt the Anhalt ministerialis, Eike of Repgow, from what is now Reppichau, drew up the Sachsenspiegel the first German law book here. The book is dedicated to its commissioner, Hoyer of Falkenstein. In 1437 the castle was given as a fief by the Bishopric of Halberstadt to the House of Asseburg, in whose hands the castle remained until its confiscation after the Second World War.

The castle was one of several backdrops in the seven-part children's series shot by GDR television, Spuk unterm Riesenrad, and one of the locations for the DEFA fairy tale film Schneeweißchen and Rosenrot ("Snow White and Rose Red"), as well as featuring in the Polizeiruf 110 episode Die Entdeckung.

The original Falkenstein Castle was built between 1120 and 1150 in Romanesque style. Although it has been modified frequently since then, notably in the mid-16th century, it still retains the character of a medieval castle.

The castle was protected by seven gates and five zwinger. The side at which the main attacks were anticipated had a 17 metre high shield wall.

The castle site covers an area of about 310 x 90 metres. Its inner bailey, the gate and zwinger together with three outer baileys cover about 40 x 40 metres. In the centre of the inner bailey is the 31-metre-high bergfried whose walls have a thickness of 8.5 metres at a height of 2 metres. It is used today as an observation tower and is open to the public.

Originally, a wooden bridge used to connect the bergfried about 9 metres above the ground to the palas located in the northwest corner. Later (Gothic) alterations connected the buildings.

Today the castle houses a museum and is used as a venue for events. It is part of the Romanesque Road, a tourist route. The castle has a falconry and a restaurant that offers traditional 'knightly' food (Ritteressen).

The castle is No. 200in the network of hiking checkpoints known as the Harzer Wandernadel.