Burg Freienstein

Burg Freienstein was a medieval castle near Beidl in northern Bavaria. Its remains stand on a six-metre granite spur above the Beidlbach stream. A rectangular stone house once occupied the flat top, with one-metre foundations uncovered in 1976. A water-filled ring ditch once surrounded the mound, fed by two ponds filled in 1920 and 1968.

The site dates from the 10th to 12th centuries, confirmed by wave-patterned pottery sherds. Unglazed 14th-century stove tiles show later occupation. In 1379 Ulrich Chleispentaler lived there as judge and steward of Waldsassen. In 1402 the abbot had the castle torn down after complaints of bandits, with permission from Emperor Sigismund.

Today a grassy mound and the granite spur mark the spot. A ring-masonry fragment once stood east of the hill until 1968. The nearby Krausenhof, formerly Freyenstein manor, recalls the castle’s name. The quiet fields around Beidl preserve traces of a once important royal stronghold.