The remains of the Castle can be visited
RuinBärnfels
Bärnfels Castle (Ruin)
The Bärnfels castle ruin is the remnant of a late medieval noble castle on the southern edge of the village of Bärnfels in the municipality of Obertrubach in the Upper Franconian district of Forchheim in Bavaria. The spur castle ruin is freely accessible at any time. Bärnfels Castle rose on a broad mountain spur, interspersed with rocks, of the so-called Bergschmidtsknock above the village of the same name in the Franconian Switzerland-Veldenstein Forest Nature Park, about 2.2 kilometers north of the church of Obertrubach. The castle ruin can be reached from the village of Bärnfels via a few steps. To the east, nearby is the Leienfels castle ruin, southeast the Leupoldstein castle site, and south a castle site in Obertrubach. To the north stands Gößweinstein Castle.
The Castle+
The first mention of the castle complex is dated August 2, 1389, when the then owners Konrad Hans and Ulrich von Egloffstein zu Bärenfels had to enfeoff their outer bailey, the so-called lower fortress, to the Landgrave of Leuchtenberg after a feud. However, the castle was built significantly earlier, probably in 1330 by Siboto I von Egloffstein, founder of the Bärenfels line of this family.
In 1483, the fief passed to the Gaillenreuth line of the Egloffsteins, who, however, did not hold it for too long, as the last enfeoffment by the Leuchtenberg Landgraves took place in 1495.
After the castle was burned down by Egloffstein subjects during the Peasants' War in 1525, it was never fully restored.
In 1580, the lordship of Bärnfels, including the castle ruin, came into the possession of the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg through sale and became Bavarian state property through secularization in 1803.
Since large parts of the complex were in danger of collapse, these were demolished in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1877, the Nuremberg pharmacist Kleemann acquired the complex and had the few remaining parts restored for the first time.
After a renovation of the ruin in 1969 by the then municipality of Bärnfels, it was again made accessible to visitors.
Today, the Bärnfels castle ruin is again owned by the von Egloffstein family, whose ancestor probably once built it.
Take Mobile History with you
You are reading this text for free. Premium adds what matters on the road: descriptions read aloud, sites found through your camera, whole regions taken offline.
- Every description, including the ~17,700 Premium sites
- Audio guide: have descriptions read to you on location
- AR finder: see sites through your camera, with distance and bearing
- Unlimited saved sites
14 days free, then from €2.99 a month. Cancel anytime.
Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 49.7144, 11.3438