Burgruine Wolfstein

The Burgruine Wolfstein stands on the highest point of the Wolfsteinberg in the Franconian Jura. It rises above the Neumarkt basin in the Upper Palatinate, a limestone landscape shaped by layers of White, Brown and Black Jura. The hilltop is built of thick dolomite and fossil-rich limestone, with iron-bearing sandstone beneath. A small deposit of the mineral aragonite appears in the old moat. The castle began as a noble seat in the 12th century under the Wolfstein family. By 1283 Gottfried of Sulzbürg had taken the name and greatly enlarged the domain. In 1434 Emperor Sigismund granted the fortress the same rights as Neumarkt itself, provoking long disputes with the Wittelsbachs. After the death of the last Wolfsteiner in 1462 the crown seized the site and it passed into ducal hands. By the 17th century the castle was abandoned and left to decay. Today the Verein Wolfsteinfreunde has stabilised the main castle. Excavations have uncovered the ground floor, a well, vaults and the former Marienkapelle. The trees have been cleared so that sunlight can dry the masonry. Visitors can walk among the ruins and climb the restored bergfried. From its 22-metre platform there is a wide view over Neumarkt and the surrounding basin.