Schweinsberg Castle

In the 12th century, the area of what would become Schweinsberg Castle was owned by the von Merlau family. Through marriage, it passed to Knight Guntram Vogt, whose son, Guntram von Marburg and von Grünberg, had the castle built on the basalt cone around 1230/31. He adopted the name “von Schweinsberg” and was appointed Hessian hereditary cupbearer by the Landgrave of Thuringia. Around 1482, under the direction of fortress builder Jakob von Ettlingen, the castle underwent expansion, resulting in a curtain wall with towers and the Hexenturm (Witches' Tower). Between 1459 and 1497, the Kemenate, the main house, was built by Conrad Schenck zu Schweinsberg.