Schloss Fürstenstein

Schloss Fürstenstein stands on a 578-metre rock above the village of Fürstenstein in Lower Bavaria. It belongs to the Dreiburgenland, a region named after three castles. The site includes medieval foundations and later additions, all protected as monuments. A 70-metre drop separates the upper castle from the road junction below. The lower castle clusters around a courtyard with three massive round towers still showing medieval masonry. The castle’s story begins with Duke Albrecht I of Bavaria, who built it between 1347 and 1365. After changing hands several times, it became a Baroque pilgrimage centre in the 17th century. The church attached to the castle still holds a 17th-century copy of the Black Madonna of Altötting. In the 19th century the bishop restored the ruin and turned it into a school run by the English Sisters. Today the complex hosts cultural events while the church remains a local landmark. Visitors see the lower courtyard framed by three towers and a grand staircase leading up to the upper palace. Only the northern wing of the lower palace opens to the public during events. The adjoining parish church, rebuilt after the Second World War, contains modern fittings by Karl Reidel and Stefan Fritsch. A staircase links the church directly to a side room of the castle, showing how closely the two buildings once worked together.