Burg Wiesentfels: A Rock Castle in Bavaria
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.5
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Germany
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page8 sections
History
Burg Wiesentfels is a rock castle in Germany, above the village of Wiesentfels in the Upper Franconian city of Hollfeld. It dates from around 1333, when Knight Albert von Giech received it as a fief from the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg, an ecclesiastical territory ruled by the prince-bishop of Bamberg. The castle remained wholly or partly in the possession of the Counts of Giech from 1333 until 1938.
Medieval Divisions and Reconstruction
The castle was divided among noble holders during the fifteenth century. In 1412, two-thirds of it, known as Unterwiesentfels, were granted to Heinz von Schaumberg. In 1415, Hans II von Giech received the remaining third, known as Oberwiesentfels. After a Hussite incursion in 1433, Oberwiesentfels was described as deserted, and it disappeared from the fief registers in 1467. The Hussites followed the religious reform movement associated with Jan Hus, whose conflicts included military incursions through parts of Central Europe.
Wiesentfels was rebuilt between 1476 and 1481. In 1487, the brothers Otto and Dietz von Giech received half of the rebuilt castle as a fief from the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg. Insurgent peasants burned the castle in 1525, after which Achaz von Giech rebuilt it in the old style.
Confiscation and Giech Ownership
In 1632, the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg confiscated the fief from nobles who had converted to Protestantism. It then granted the property to Colonel Hans Wolf Freiherr von Salis, a baron who had distinguished himself in Bavarian service as a major general during the fighting around Regensburg.
Following prolonged inheritance disputes, the Thurnau line of the Lords of Giech received Wiesentfels as a fief in 1654. The family was raised to the rank of counts in 1695, and the castle remained the residence and property of the Counts of Giech until 1938, when the last count died. Their heirs, the Barons Hiller von Gaertringen, sold the castle in 1969. Ownership changed again in 2009 and 2025.
Heritage Protection
Burg Wiesentfels is protected as an architectural heritage monument in Bavaria under monument number D-4-72-154-77. It also forms part of the cultural heritage designation D-4-6033-0228 in Hollfeld.
Remains
Burg Wiesentfels is arranged as a rock castle above the village of Wiesentfels. It stands on a rock approximately 40 metres high above the valley of the Wiesent River. The preserved complex includes the gatehouse and a forester’s house, with substantial parts of the castle surviving.
Surviving Buildings
Gatehouse
The gatehouse forms part of the preserved castle complex at Wiesentfels 40. Its survival represents the continuing physical presence of the fortified site above the Wiesent valley.
Forester’s House
A forester’s house at Wiesentfels 40a is also included in the surviving complex. Together with the gatehouse, it belongs to the preserved buildings associated with Burg Wiesentfels.
