Brand Castle

The first documented mention of Brand Castle dates back to 1221, when Meino de Brande appeared as a witness in a Waldsassen document. Originally subordinate to the Lords of Liebenstein, the estate passed to the Notthafft and Paulsdorfer families after their extinction in 1291, who in turn enfeoffed it to the von Brand family. In 1392, Brand was still listed as part of the Egerland, but in 1414, Burgrave Johann III of Nuremberg withdrew the village from the Egerland and incorporated it into the Arzberg judicial district. A complaint from 1414 suggests the presence of several noble residences within the castle estate. In 1441, the sons of Berthold Brantner enfeoffed their property to Margrave Johann Alchymista, which triggered a prolonged dispute with the Notthafft zu Weißenstein, only settled in 1625. The composer Jobst von Brandt resided at the castle and created his late works here. After the Thirty Years' War, Hans Wilhelm von Brand's widow sold her property to Georg Christoph Renner in 1662. A fire destroyed the castle buildings in 1690, but the topping-out ceremony could be celebrated the following year.