Frauenstein Castle

The origins of the complex trace back to a hill castle built around 1200 as a border fortification between the Margraviate of Meissen and Bohemia. Its purpose was to protect trade routes and silver mining. The initial core castle, a structure measuring 30 by 15 meters with a residential tower, was expanded. A second residential tower was added, followed by a palas with a chapel in the late 13th century and a curtain wall in the first half of the 14th century. In 1329, the Margrave of Meissen pledged the castle to the Burgrave of Meissen. After the extinction of the Meinheringer family in 1426 and the takeover by the bailiffs from Plauen, inheritance disputes arose, culminating in a siege by the Wettins in 1438, which severely damaged the castle.