Greifenstein Castle

The origins of Greifenstein Castle are not fully clear. It was first documented in 1172 in connection with Eberhard de Grifenstein from the Schlüsselberger family, who owned the property until their extinction in 1347. After the demise of their successors, the Lords of Streitberg, in 1690, the fief reverted to the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg. In the early 16th century, the castle suffered destruction during the Peasants' War but was rebuilt. When it reverted to the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg, it was in a dilapidated state. Prince-Bishop Marquard Sebastian Schenk von Stauffenberg then initiated a restoration and conversion into a Baroque castle between 1691 and 1693, under the direction of Leonhard Dientzenhofer. In the same year, the Prince-Bishop received the castle as a fief for his services to the Diocese of Bamberg, with the right to pass it on to blood relatives. After the end of the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg, the castle became the property of the Stauffenberg family, whose Franconian branch still inhabits it today. The family, whose original name is Schenk von Stauffenberg, is a noble lineage first mentioned in 1262.