Sandsee Castle

Sandsee is a village part of Pleinfeld in Mittelfranken, built around a round fortress on the 455-metre Weinberg hill. The castle stands as a high fortress, surrounded by its medieval walls and towers. It overlooks the surrounding countryside from its elevated position near Mischelbach. The castle was first built in the 12th century by the Lords of Hirschberg. It later became an administrative and hunting lodge for the Prince-Bishops of Eichstätt. The fortress suffered damage during the Markgrafenkrieg in 1462 and again in the Thirty Years’ War, when parts were burned in 1632 and 1636. After rebuilding in the 17th century, it passed into private hands in 1815 when King Max I Joseph gave it to General Carl Philipp von Wrede. Today the castle is home to Carl Friedrich and Katharina Fürst von Wrede. The Westflügel contains a chapel consecrated in 1903. The couple also run the Nova Silesia art workshop on the site. Visitors can walk the historic walls and view the preserved Renaissance and Baroque features of the interior.