Zangenstein Castle

The area around Zangenstein was already settled in the Stone Age, as evidenced by numerous prehistoric finds. The hilltop castle was built in 1360. Otto der Zenger von Schwarzeneck received permission from Count Palatine Ruprecht I to construct a stone fortification on a granite rock. It is presumed that a predecessor structure already existed, but it did not yet have a stone curtain wall. Archaeological excavations in 2010 confirmed the early significance of the site when a 2800-year-old Celtic burial mound was discovered. The Lords of Zenger, who experienced their heyday between the 14th and 16th centuries, owned other castles in the Upper Palatinate in addition to Zangenstein. After the Zenger line died out in the 16th century, the castle frequently changed hands and eventually fell into disrepair in the 19th century.