Feet in the Middle Ages

Around Füssen in the Allgäu, there are numerous castles and castle ruins that are reminiscent of the Middle Ages, when knights and castle ladies populated the area. The Hochstift Augsburg and the Fürststift Kempten shaped the Allgäu and its cultural landscape in the Middle Ages, because the castles of the region served as their services at that time.

The Middle Ages are ubiquitous in and around Füssen, because many castles here bear witness to this time. So also the landmark of Füssen, the high castle perched high above the city, which was also originally created as a castle and today is considered one of the best preserved medieval castles in Bavaria. It was once the summer residence of the prince-bishops of Augsburg and today houses the branch gallery of the Bavarian State Painting Collections and the Städtische Galerie. The late Gothic architectural design of the Hohe Schloss has remained almost unchanged to this day. Worth seeing here are, for example, the mighty Bergfried – the fortified tower of the plant – and the gate tower, which, like the court facades, was decorated with rich architectural and illusion paintings. Some of the interiors are also highly remarkable, including the so-called “French Rooms” with their late Gothic wooden ceilings and the magnificent Knights’ Hall with its late Gothic, ornately designed carving ceiling.

On a hill above the beautiful Füssen district Hops on the lake, you will find the ruins of the oldest stone castle of the Allgäu – the Burg Hopfen. It was the end of the 12. Century that: Domicile one Welfards family of servants, before they shall: in the Property the High pen Augsburg arrived and up to 1322 served as the official residence of the Füssener Propstes. Then the castle fell into ruin. in 18. Century has been they shall: as Quarrying For the Conversion work the Benedectin monasteries St. Mang is exploited. From year 2000 began the city of Füssen with renovation measures of the castle complex. From the castle hops are still up to 3 Meters high wall remains preserved and today the structure of the castle is again clearly visible. As the earliest stone castle of the Allgäu, Burg Hopfen has a special significance, even if it is nowadays a popular excursion destination, because from it you can enjoy fantastic views of the Ammergau Alps and the Tannheim mountains.

In Eisenberg, Burg Eisenberg together with Hohenfreyberg Castle form a castle ensemble that is visible from afar and dominates the landscape. Both castles were destroyed during the Thirty Years' War, but have since been renovated. Eisenberg Castle is a beautiful and rather rare mantle wall castle and Hohenfreyberg Castle is a typical high medieval mountain castle, which is considered one of the last great castle new buildings of the Middle Ages. Not far from these two castle ruins is the castle Falkenstein, the highest castle ruin in Germany. Due to its exceptional location high on Mount Falkenstein, the castle is considered an imposing power and Symbol of rule. The special location was also the reason why the fairy tale king Ludwig II. The castle ruins once bought. He wanted to build in their place another magnificent castle in the style of Neuschwanstein. Only his death in the year 1886 prevented the realization of this plan.

In Reutte, the Ehrenberg Castle together with the Baroque fortress Schlosskopf, the Ehrenberger Klause and the Fort Claudia form one of the most important fortification ensembles in Central Europe. Ehrenberg Castle can look back on an eventful history and was often the scene of military conflicts in the Middle Ages, most recently during the War of the Spanish Succession. 18. century. Today, the castle ruins are a popular excursion destination and every year the castle Ehrenberg hosts the medieval spectacle "Knight Games Ehrenberg: Time Travel". Here you can experience exciting knight tournaments, a huge medieval market, magnificent parades with knights and elaborately decorated horses, fireworks, concerts and much more. The Medieval Spectacle in Ehrenberg is Europe’s largest historical event of its kind and attracts thousands of visitors every year. Exciting stories about the lives of knights can also be found in the European Castle Museum, which is located in Ehrenberg.

Also the well-known Hohenschwangau Castle was formerly 12. A century castle. It served the nobles of Schwangau as a domicile. Only in the year 1832, after Maximilian II. which had meanwhile bought up the ruined castle, it was converted in the neo-Gothic style into a romantic residential palace. After that, Maximilian II lived. together with his wife Marie and his son Ludwig II. large parts of the year. Directly opposite Hohenschwangau Castle stands the world-famous Neuschwanstein Castle, which King Ludwig II built as the ideal of a medieval castle. The castle, which houses magnificent halls with all kinds of art treasures and lots of gold and velvet inside, is today one of the most important sights in Germany and attracts well over one million visitors from all over the world every year.

Those who are interested in the Middle Ages and in knights and castles will get their money's worth around Füssen. Here there is much to discover from the exciting period of the Middle Ages.