Harburg Castle

Harburg stands on a rock above the Wörnitz on the edge of the Ries crater, first recorded in the twelfth century and held by the Oettingen family from 1295 to the present, which is unusually continuous ownership. It was never captured, and because the family moved their residence elsewhere in the eighteenth century the castle was not modernised, so the walls, six towers, gatehouse, chapel and prison survive substantially as built. The Oettingen-Wallerstein art collection, once housed here, includes works now largely in Augsburg. A bridge below carries the road across the river beneath the walls.

What you actually see

• The six towers - a complete circuit of walls and towers on the rock.
• The unaltered fabric - a castle not modernised after the 1700s.
• The chapel and prison - interiors shown on the guided route.
• The river setting - the Wörnitz and its bridge below the walls.

When to go

April to October; the castle closes for winter and visits are by guided tour at set times. It is on the Romantic Road and busiest at midday in summer.

Honest expectations

Entry is only on a guided tour with fixed departures. Much of the interior is bare. It closes entirely for several winter months.

Nearby

Nördlingen lies north; Donauwörth is south.