Uprode Castle (Ruin)

The castle ruin Uprode is located above the small village of Oppenroth, which is incorporated into Weißdorf in the district of Hof.

Uprode Castle was built around 1320 by the Knights of Sparneck to secure their ancestral lands. Other neighboring castles of the Sparnecks were the moated castle in Weißdorf, the seats of Sparneck, Stockenroth, Hallerstein, Gattendorf, and the castles on the Waldstein. It was first mentioned in a document in 1373: the Sparnecks sold the castle to the Burgraves of Nuremberg. Later, ownership of the castle passed to the related Lords of Lüchau. During this time, it is also suspected that the castle was destroyed by the Hussites. At the end of the 15th century, the families Kotzau and Reitzenstein moved into the castle; half of the Reitzenstein share briefly passed to Georg Blassenberger through sale.

The Sparnecks regained the castle in 1494. However, on July 11, 1523, the castle met its abrupt end at the hands of the Swabian League. This league destroyed numerous small castles in Central Germany whose owners, as accomplices of the robber knight Thomas von Absberg, held captive abducted Nuremberg merchants. Although Melchior von Sparneck, canon in Regensburg, received minor financial compensation as a co-owner due to the destruction, the responsibility of his brothers remained undisputed. With the destruction of their castles, the Sparnecks also lost influence in their ancestral territory.

The castle has been a ruin ever since. Remains of walls, foundations, and ditch systems are visible in the forest. Scattered parts of the blown-up tower are also still clearly recognizable. Recently, information boards have been installed along the adjacent hiking trail. So far, there has been no structural preservation or excavations.

The ruin suffered further damage from Hurricane Kyrill on January 18, 2007.

The Woodcut by Hans Wandereisen

In the woodcut, the castle is depicted as already destroyed. The troops are still blowing up the keep, which is already in flames. It should be noted that the wagon on its way to the complex is labeled with "Bulver". This is the only marking on the barrels that can be seen in almost all cuts.