Burglengenfeld Castle

Burglengenfeld Castle, or historically Lengenfeld Castle, is a castle above the present-day town of Burglengenfeld in the Upper Palatinate. It is "Bavaria's best-preserved castle complex" from the Salian period. The privately owned complex now houses a "therapeutic educational center."

The stone castle visible today was probably preceded by an earthwork of ramparts and palisades. Early indications of the Lords of Lengenfeld in the 9th and 10th centuries are still unconfirmed, but they are documented from 1050 onwards. Under them, around 1100, the central round tower and the curtain wall with the gate system were probably built first. In 1119/1120, Count Friedrich III of Lengenfeld died, whereupon the castle fell to the Wittelsbach family. Palatine Count Otto V of Bavaria, in particular, had the castle further fortified shortly after its acquisition and probably had the Sinzenhofer Tower built to secure the gate system. After the castle was damaged in the Landshut War of Succession, it was assigned to the newly created Wittelsbach Duchy of Palatinate-Neuburg. In 1777, the Palatinate-Neuburg line inherited the Bavarian line of the House of Wittelsbach, making the castle the property of the Bavarian Duke.

In 1806, after the sale of the complex, its demolition began, which claimed the core castle, among other things. However, in 1814, this was stopped at the instigation of Crown Prince Ludwig I. In 1967, Erich Heuser bought the castle and established a "therapeutic educational center" there.