Leienfels Castle () was a

late medieval The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the period of European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...

aristocratic

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

, immediately northwest of the eponymous village of Leienfels in the region of

Franconian Switzerland Franconian Switzerland (, ) is an upland in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany and a popular tourist retreat. Located between the River Pegnitz in the east and the south, the River Regnitz in the west and the River Main in the north, its relief ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. The village belongs to the borough of Pottenstein in the

Upper Franconia Upper Franconia (, ) is a (administrative 'Regierungs''region 'bezirk'' of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia, the others being Middle Franconia and Lower Franconia, wh ...

n county of

Bayreuth Bayreuth ( or ; High Franconian German, Upper Franconian: Bareid, ) is a Town#Germany, town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtel Mountains. The town's roots date back to 11 ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

. The

ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

of the

hill castle A hill castle or mountain castle is a castle built on a natural feature that stands above the surrounding terrain. It is a term derived from the German ''Höhenburg'' used in categorising castle sites by their topographical location. Hill castles a ...

are freely accessible and act as a

viewing point A scenic viewpoint—also called an observation point, viewpoint, viewing point, vista point, scenic overlook,These terms are more commonly used in North America. etc.—is an elevated location where people can view scenery (often with binocu ...

Location

The ruins lie within the

Franconian Switzerland-Veldenstein Forest Nature Park Franconian Switzerland-Veldenstein Forest Nature Park () is a nature park in North Bavaria. The nature park was established in 1995 and it covers an area that is almost coextensive with the natural region major unit of Northern Franconian Jura, t ...

on the 590-metre-high hill of ''Leienfelser Schlossberg'' immediately next to the village of Leienfels, about 4.6 kilometres northwest of the church at

Betzenstein Betzenstein () is a town in the district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Franconian Switzerland, 35 km northeast of Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Francon ...

. The castle may be reached from the village of Leienfels by heading in a northwesterly direction. The site of the castle begins at the edge of the village. In the vicinity, towards the west, lie the ruins of

Bärnfels Castle The ruins of Bärnfels Castle () are the remains of a late mediaeval aristocratic castle on the southern edge of the village of Bärnfels in the municipality of Obertrubach in the Upper Franconian county of Forchheim in Bavaria. The ruins of th ...

, to the north, on the Bleistein near Graisch, is the site of Leuenstein Castle. To the southeast is the site of Leupoldstein Castle and, to the southwest, in the valley of the

Trubach Trubach is a river in Bavaria, Germany. It flows into the Wiesent near Pretzfeld. See also *List of rivers of Bavaria A list of rivers of Bavaria, Germany: A * Aalbach * Abens * Ach * Afferbach * Affinger Bach * Ailsbach * Aisch * Aiterach * ...

, were other castles, of which ruins or foundations (''

Burgställe A ''burgstall'' is a German term referring to a castle of which so little is left that its appearance cannot effectively be reconstructed.

'') still exist.

History of the castle

The castle, whose name is probably derived from ''Löwenfels'' ("Lion Rock"), is one of the later castles to be built in Franconian Switzerland and may have been erected in the 14th century at the behest of Seibot I of

Egloffstein Egloffstein is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the district of Forchheim (district), Forchheim in Bavaria in Germany. Geography Location The village of Egloffstein is a state-recognised climatic spa and lies in the valley of the ...

, who is recorded between 1285 and 1332. The castle itself is first mentioned in 1372. Lord Götz of Egloffstein had to give his part of the hitherto probably allodial castle to the Bishop of Bamberg after a

feud A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...

. In 1380 the castle was captured by troops of the Bishop of Bamberg and Burgrave

Frederick V of Nuremberg Frederick V of Nuremberg (before 3 March 1333 – 21 January 1398) was a Burgrave (''Burggraf'') of Nuremberg, of the House of Hohenzollern. Life He was the elder son of John II, Burgrave of Nuremberg and Elisabeth of Henneberg. From the ...

. Götz of Egloffstein was taken prisoner and incarcerated in Nuremberg. His successor was also frequently involved in feuds. The castle was destroyed in 1397 on the orders of Emperor Wenceslaus. 1In 502 Jobst I of Egloffstein sold the castle to the Bishop of Bamberg and it became the seat of a small episcopal ''

Amt Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to ...

''. In the

Peasants' War This is a chronological list of revolts organized by peasants. Background The history of peasant wars spans over two thousand years. A variety of factors fueled the emergence of the peasant revolt phenomenon, including: * Tax resistance * So ...

the castle was badly damaged in 1525, but its garrison under Otto of Mengersdorf was able to prevent it being taken. The restoration of the castle was carried out immediately. In 1553, during the

Second Margrave War The Second Margrave War () was a conflict in the Holy Roman Empire between 1552 and 1555. Instigated by Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and Brandenburg-Bayreuth, who was attempting to form a Duchy of Franconia under his ru ...

, it was again seriously damaged. Its reconstruction was carried out more slowly this time. In 1594, Leienfels was incorporated into the episcopal ''Amt'' of Pottenstein. By 1610, the site was already being described as uninhabitable. In 1643, during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

the repair of the castle was no longer considered to be worthwhile. In 1646, the bricks were of the surviving buildings were carried off and the site left to decay. Today, the ruins have been designated by the

Bavarian State Office for Monument Protection The Bavarian State Office for Monument Protection (, BLfD) is the Bavarian central state authority for the protection of historical monuments. It is responsible for the conservation of both historic buildings as well as heritage sites and their ...

as listed site D-4-72-179-83 "Leienfels, formerly an almost triangular site, remains of the

enceinte Enceinte (from Latin ''incinctus'' "girdled, surrounded") is a French term that refers to the "main defensive enclosure of a fortification". For a castle, this is the main defensive line of wall towers and curtain walls enclosing the positio ...

and the main building with corner tower, the core 14th century; wall of the former outer bailey, 14th century.", as well as ground monument D-4-6234-0068 "finds from the Middle Ages and early modern period in the area of the castle ruins of Leienfels" (pdf; 152 kB)

References

Literature

* Rüdiger Bauriedel, Ruprecht Konrad-Röder: ''Mittelalterliche Befestigungen und niederadelige Ansitze im Landkreis Bayreuth''. Ellwanger Druck und Verlag, Bayreuth, 2007, , p. 137. * Ursula Pfistermeister: ''Wehrhaftes Franken - Band 3: Burgen, Kirchenburgen, Stadtmauern um Bamberg, Bayreuth und Coburg''. Fachverlag Hans Carl, Nuremberg, 2002, , pp. 84–85. * Walter Heinz: ''Ehemalige Adelssitze im Trubachtal''. Verlag Palm und Enke, Erlangen and Jena, 1996, , pp. 8–26. * Gustav Voit, Walter Rüfer: ''Eine Burgenreise durch die Fränkische Schweiz''. Verlag Palm und Enke, Erlangen, 1991, , pp. 117–120. * Björn-Uwe Abels, Joachim Zeune, u.A.: ''Führer zu archäologischen Denkmälern in Deutschland, Band 20: Fränkische Schweiz''. Konrad Theiss Verlag GmbH und Co., Stuttgart, 1990, , p. 217. * Toni Eckert, Susanne Fischer, Renate Freitag, Rainer Hofmann, Walter Tausendpfund: ''Die Burgen der Fränkischen Schweiz – Ein Kulturführer''. Gürtler Druck, Forchheim, , pp. 93–95. * Hellmut Kunstmann: ''Die Burgen der östlichen Fränkischen Schweiz''. Kommissionsverlag Ferdinand Schöningh, Würzburg, 1965, pp. 411–426.

External links

{{Commons category, Burg Leienfels, Leienfels Castle * Leienfels Castle a
Burgenwelt.de

Artist's impression of the castle in mediaeval times
* Leienfels Castle a

Hill castles Franconian Switzerland Castles in Bavaria Bayreuth (district)