Hohenzollern Castle

The castle on Mount Hohenzollern is the third on the site and by far the youngest, built between 1850 and 1867 in a romantic Gothic Revival style for the family whose name it carries. Historically it is a nineteenth century idea of the Middle Ages rather than the thing itself, and it is best taken on those terms: turrets, battlements and a spiralling walled ramp that wraps the hill several times before letting you through the gate. The setting does the rest. The cone rises alone off the Swabian Jura escarpment, and on autumn mornings the valleys below fill with fog while the towers stay in sun.

History

The first castle on the mountain was built around 1040 by the Counts of Zollern; the family is first mentioned in 1061 and the castle, praised as the "crown of all castles in Swabia", appears as Castro Zolre in 1267, and in 1423 it was totally destroyed after a long siege by the Swabian League of Cities. A second, stronger castle was begun in 1454; Württemberg troops took it in 1634 in the Thirty Years' War, French soldiers occupied it in the winter of 1744/45, and after the last Austrian owner left in 1798 it fell into ruin until only the Chapel of St Michael was usable. Crown Prince Frederick William IV of Prussia climbed the hill in 1819 to learn about his family's roots and later resolved to rebuild it; Friedrich August Stüler began the design in 1846, construction started in 1850, and it was completed on 3 October 1867 under King William I (Wikipedia, Hohenzollern Castle).

What's there

• The approach ramp - a spiralling walled road that circles the hill before reaching the gate.
• The bastion walk - a full circuit of the outer terrace with the Jura escarpment on every side.
• The treasury - court silver, regalia and porcelain shown in a vaulted strongroom.
• St Michael's chapel - the oldest surviving part of the complex, with old stained glass panels.

When to go

Late spring to early autumn for reliable opening and warm terraces. October and November bring the inversions that put the castle above a sea of fog, but they are a matter of luck and an early start. Interiors are seen by guided tour, and tours sell out on summer weekends, so book a slot before travelling.

Before you go

It is a nineteenth century reconstruction, and visitors expecting an authentic medieval fortress leave disappointed. The shuttle costs extra on top of the ticket, or you walk up a steep gravel road. Cloud can swallow the whole hill for days and take the views with it. Interior tours move fast through fewer rooms than the exterior suggests.

Nearby

The Danube gorge above Beuron, Sigmaringen's palace on the river, and the caves of the Ach valley.

Key facts