Rothenberg Fortress

The origins of Rothenberg Fortress date back to the late Middle Ages, when around 1330, the ministeriales of Wildenstein built a castle on this site. This family, appointed by Bavarian dukes after 1250 to administer Staufer possessions around Nuremberg, quickly rose to prominence in the region. The name "Rothenberg" derives from the reddish Dogger sandstone of the original castle site. After the destruction or abandonment of the first complex, the Wildensteins built their new castle on the opposite side of the valley above Schnaittach, retaining the name. From 1353, the gradual transfer of Rothenberg to Charles IV began, who fully acquired the castle in 1360. Under Bohemian rule, the complex became an administrative castle and the seat of a high court district.