Burg Trausnitz im Tal

Burg Trausnitz im Tal stands on a tongue of land 448 metres above sea level, overlooking the Pfreimd near the southern edge of Trausnitz village in the Upper Palatinate. The hilltop fortress is one of the finest and best-preserved medieval castles in Bavaria. It appears as a small three-winged structure on a pentagonal plan, with a dry ditch on the western approach and no separate ring wall. The high outer walls of the residential buildings form the enceinte, enclosing a narrow, gorge-like inner courtyard.

The castle became widely known when Frederick the Fair of Austria was held here for 28 months after the Battle of Mühldorf in 1322. This clash between Louis of Bavaria and Frederick on the Ampfinger Heath was the last great knightly battle on German soil. The Wittelsbach rulers granted the castle to their administrator Weichnand, a commoner who enjoyed the emperor’s favour. Later owners included the Zenger family, the Sparneck line and, from 1714, the Quentel barons. In 1830 King Ludwig I bought the ruins and had them restored in 1837.

Today the castle houses a youth hostel after a thorough renovation between 1993 and 1997. A square bergfried rises at the north-west corner beside the gate. The inner courtyard is framed by three tall wings, and the outer walls themselves serve as the defensive ring. Occasional performances recall Frederick’s imprisonment, most recently in 1997 with a play called Captive in Trausnitz.