Adelsburg

Schloss Plankenfels stands on a dolomite rock above the left side of the upper Wiesent valley, at the western edge of the village of Plankenfels in Upper Franconia. Two main buildings, the west and east wings, are joined by an intermediate structure with a pitched roof. The castle remains in private hands and is not open to the public. The fortress was first recorded in 1255 when Konrad von Plankenfels appears in documents, though an earlier castle may already have existed on the site. The nearby Burg Plankenstein, probably the family’s original stronghold, passed to the Bishop of Bamberg by 1260 and survives only as ruins. After the Plankenfels line died out around 1486, the castle passed through several noble families, including the Wichsensteins and Rüssenbachs, before becoming a freehold in 1786. Today the castle’s two wings, rebuilt after destruction in the 16th century, show roof timbers dated about 1553 and 1717. The east wing’s older trusses and the west wing’s later ones remain visible in the private estate. The steep rock and the connecting structure give the place a compact, fortified appearance. Visitors can admire the exterior from the village below, while the interior remains closed to outsiders.