Burgruine Hilpoltstein

The Burgruine Hilpoltstein stands on a sandstone crag in the town of Hilpoltstein in Mittelfranken. First traces of a fortification there go back to the 10th century, and the castle itself was built around 1100. Named in 1109 and recorded in 1142, it was called castellum dicto Stein in 1154, pointing to its founders, the lords of Stein. By 1220–30 the palas and bergfried had been added, and in 1250 Heinrich von Stein expanded the ring wall and raised the palas. After passing to the Wittelsbachs in 1385, the castle was enlarged again in 1606 for Duchess Maria Dorothea. The ruins show parts of every building phase from the mid-13th century to the early modern period. The 22-metre bergfried, with walls 1.7 metres thick and a pointed arch entrance 10 metres up, still stands intact. Its three tiny floors served as a lookout and power display, and traces of a Gothic vault date it after 1250. The castle kitchen lay behind the tower, and Maria Dorothea had a bathhouse installed there. A rock-cut entrance led through a wooden ladder or draw-stair to the inner courtyard, while the outer ward south of the core has a Renaissance stair-tower portal of 1606. Visitors walk along the sandstone walls and climb the bergfried for wide views over the Franconian plain. The former Traidkasten of 1473 and a deep medieval cellar with a barrel vault survive on the lower levels. Every May the castle hosts a medieval festival, and in July and August the open-air stage in the ruins hosts Burgtheater performances. The old Hofkasten now holds a visitor centre, archive and adult education rooms, while the former infirmary in the outer ward serves new residents.