Zwernitz Castle

Burg Zwernitz stands on a narrow dolomite crag in the village of Sanspareil within the Franconian Switzerland nature park. The medieval stronghold began as the seat of the Walpoten family, first mentioned in 1156. Over five centuries it remained in Hohenzollern hands until Markgräfin Wilhelmine transformed it into part of her Sanspareil landscape garden in 1745. The fortress witnessed key moments in regional history. In 1430 Andreas Prokop and Burggraf Friedrich VI agreed a truce here that spared Bamberg from Hussite attack. During the Second Margrave War in 1553 imperial troops under Haug von Parsberg destroyed much of the structure. Later, in 1632, Croatian forces levelled it again before Christian, Margrave of Bayreuth ordered its final demolition to deny its use to enemies. Visitors today walk through the surviving parts of the complex. The Bergfried, its lower half dating from around 1200, links the upper and lower baileys. A narrow staircase beside the tower connects the two levels. Inside the lower bailey the chapel and Hirschkopf buildings show timber-framed upper floors above stone basements. The view from the tower’s wooden lantern stretches across Upper Franconia to the Bohemian mountains, recalling its medieval role as a signalling post in the regional watchtower network.