Plassenburg Castle

The first documented mention of Plassenburg dates back to 1135, when Count Berthold II of Andechs referred to himself as "comes de Plassenberch" and presumably acted as its builder. Initially, the castle served as an important stronghold for the Meranian rulers in the region. After the extinction of the Andechs-Meranians, Plassenburg fell to the Counts of Orlamünde. In 1338, Count Otto VI of Orlamünde pledged the lordship to Burgrave Johann II of Nuremberg, leading to the castle's acquisition by the Hohenzollerns in 1340. Under their patronage, Plassenburg developed into a new center of power in Franconia and became the retirement residence of Burgrave Friedrich V in 1397. Following the division of the territory, it became the focal point of the Principality "ob dem Gebirg." In the 15th century, Plassenburg also served as a Hohenzollern family prison. From 1530, Margrave Georg the Pious began expanding it into a fortress, creating gun rondels such as the Hohe Bastei. His nephew Albrecht Alcibiades further intensified the expansion, which allowed the castle to withstand a seven-month siege during the Second Margrave War before surrendering in 1554 and subsequently being destroyed. Under Margrave Georg Friedrich the Elder, reconstruction in the Renaissance style began in 1557, based on plans by Caspar Vischer.