Hohenstein Castle

The first documented mention of the complex dates back to 1306 as Hohenstein Castle, with Countess Jutta von Henneberg recorded as its owner. Over the next 150 years, the castle changed hands multiple times until Duke Wilhelm von Sachsen granted it as a fief to the brothers Hans and Thomas von Lichtenstein. In 1466, the castle was devastated by Bamberg vassals. It suffered even greater destruction in 1525 when rebellious peasants burned the medieval complex to its foundations. It was not until 1573 that Michael von Lichtenstein rebuilt it in the Renaissance style, including the construction of the tall gatehouse. In 1648, shortly before the end of the Thirty Years' War, the castle was plundered by Swedish troops.