Burg Hohenfels (Oberpfalz)

Burg Hohenfels stands on a long ridge 428 metres above sea level in the Oberpfalz region of Bavaria. The medieval ruin is reached by a short climb from the village of Hohenfels in the Neumarkt district. Archaeologists list the site as a protected monument with traces of the castle’s stone walls and earthworks. The castle is also registered as a listed building under its own monument number. Visitors walk through grass and bracken where the great hall and stables once stood. The castle was begun in the early 12th century by the Lords of Hohenfels, ministerials of the Bishop of Regensburg. In 1250 Konrad of Hohenfels tried to murder King Konrad IV on the Bishop’s orders and fled after the attempt failed. The king ordered the castle destroyed, but it was rebuilt. In 1427 Wittelsbach keepers took the castle and later it was sacked by Bohemian Hussites. By the 19th century the ruin was sold for demolition and used as a quarry. Today only one tower remains standing. The round east tower, built on a rock outcrop, still rises more than ten metres above the ground. Its high entrance is reached by a short ladder. Beside it lies the stump of a second tower, once nine metres square and faced with ashlar. A few walls outline where the chapel with its Gothic vault once stood. From the ridge there are wide views over the surrounding farmland and wooded hills.