Burgstall Stadel

The Burgstall Stadel stands on a small hill called Schlossberg above the hamlet of Stadel near Karlstein in the Upper Palatinate region of Bavaria. It overlooks the end of the Stadelmühlbach stream where several old roads once crossed, suggesting the medieval fort once controlled these routes. The site is listed as a medieval archaeological monument in the Bavarian heritage database. The fort was probably built in the 13th century and first mentioned in 1342 when a knight named Wernt der Stor pledged loyalty to the Bishop of Regensburg. Over the next two centuries the castle passed through several noble families, including the Uttenhofers, Kuttenauers and Freudenbergs, before being bought by Jobst Tandorfer in 1504. By the late 18th century the Tandorfers held three estates together, though only Karlstein was later turned into a castle, leading to the decline of Stadel and Forstenberg. Today only a short stretch of wall remains, standing on what was probably the edge of a defensive ditch and outer bank. Old maps show the original layout included a tower and a great hall protected by an outer wall, with the surviving terrace likely part of a rampart facing the Regen valley. A quarry on the western side removed part of the ditch long ago, leaving the modest ruins that visitors see today.