Burghausen Castle

The castle runs the full length of a narrow ridge between the Salzach and a lake behind it, 1,051 metres from end to end, which the Guinness records list as the longest castle complex in the world. It is built as six courtyards in sequence, each with its own gates and defences, so an attacker taking one still faced the next; the main castle sits at the southern end. It was the second residence of the Lower Bavarian dukes and a treasury, and the wealth came from salt shipped down the Salzach. The old town below is a row of tall colourful merchant houses along the river.

What you actually see

• The 1,051-metre length - six courtyards in sequence along one ridge.
• The layered defences - each courtyard gated separately from the next.
• The main castle - the ducal residence and museum at the southern end.
• The riverside town - tall painted merchant houses along the Salzach.

When to go

April to October; the outer courtyards are open freely year-round and the museum keeps shorter winter hours. Walking the full length takes an hour or more.

Honest expectations

Most of the length is open courtyards and walls rather than furnished rooms. The walk from end to end is long. Austria is directly across the river.

Nearby

Altötting lies west; Salzburg is southeast across the border.