Greifenstein Castle

The construction of Greifenstein Castle presumably began around 1558 under Philipp III von Thüngen, with a keystone bearing the year 1565 confirming this period. Investigations in the late 1970s found no evidence of a predecessor building. In 1657, the castle passed to Major General Hans-Georg von Rußwurm. It acquired its current form through a reconstruction in 1726. After the extinction of the von Russwurm family in 1732, Greifenstein came into the possession of the Counts of Gleichen through marriage, who subsequently appeared as Imperial Barons of Gleichen-Russwurm. Friedrich von Schiller visited the castle in 1793 with his wife Charlotte. Later, from 1828, his youngest daughter Emilie lived at Greifenstein after her marriage to Heinrich Adalbert von Gleichen-Russwurm until her death in 1872. Her son Heinrich Ludwig, an impressionist, also worked and painted in Bonnland.