Niederfüllbach Castle

The Turmhügel Niederfüllbach stands in Oberfranken, just north of Niederfüllbach’s castle. It is the remains of a small motte-and-bailey fort built on an earthen mound. The site once held a wooden tower surrounded by a ditch and palisade, typical of medieval fortifications from the 12th century. The fort first appears in records in 1317 as ‘burc Fullebach’ when Count Bertholt of Henneberg granted it to Heinrich of Schaumberg. Archaeologists recognise its earlier origins because the mound and ditch layout matches 12th-century military earthworks. Such towers defended local farmsteads and trade routes during unsettled times. Visitors find a low, grassy mound about 170 metres from the modern Schloss. The original ditch is still visible as a shallow hollow around the base. The quiet field setting shows how small lordly towers once dotted the countryside. Nearby stands the later Baroque castle, giving a contrast between medieval earthworks and Renaissance stonework.