Epprechtstein Castle (Ruin)

Epprechtstein Castle is a former hilltop castle on the mountain of the same name, Epprechtstein, which rises above the town of Kirchenlamitz.

In a deed of gift from Duke Otto II of Merania, an Eberhardus de Eckebretsteine was first mentioned in 1248. In 1308, King Henry VII enfeoffed the brothers Ulrich, Heinrich, and Nickel, known as "die Säcke", with the fortress of Epprechtstein, and the von Wild family became co-owners. In 1337, Emperor Louis the Bavarian also enfeoffed Vogt Heinrich von Plauen with a small part of the fortress. In 1352, the Burgraves of Nuremberg stormed the robber baron castle, after which they received it as a fief. Among the attackers was Heinrich von Kotzau with his two brothers. In 1355/1356, they acquired full possession of the castle, the office, and Kirchenlamitz through purchase, making Epprechtstein and Kirchenlamitz part of the Sechsämterland and the seat of bailiffs. The castle tower was part of the defense system of the Wartordnung of 1498. In the 16th century, the castle was destroyed by troops of Vogt Heinrich von Plauen and fell into disrepair.

The castle ruin was explored in the late 18th century by the local historian Johann Theodor Benjamin Helfrecht and the cartographer Johann Christoph Stierlein. The painter Georg Könitzer drew a lithograph of the castle ruin as part of his thematic series around the Fichtelgebirge.