Top 20 Castles around Schmidmühlen

You can say it out loud, it is a gem on the Naab.

Hohenburg Castle Ruins Hohenburg Castle is one of the oldest castles in the Nordgau, present-day Upper Palatinate. It protected an important medieval trade route that ran from the lower Elbe River via Forchheim to Regensburg. The historical drawing shows that it was probably a moat with wall towers that ran around the entire complex and was certainly built in the late Middle Ages. The builders dispensed with an additional moat, relying instead on the steep mountain slopes as a barrier. Nothing remains of the original castle dating back to the 11th century. The oldest part of the heavily dilapidated structure visible today is probably the square keep at the northwestern tip. It has a side length of 7.5 meters and a circular interior. The palace adjoins it to the east. These oldest parts of the building probably date from the 13th century. The palace-like extension took place in the 16th century, determining the present appearance of the remains. From the south wing, one can still see a thick, fortress-like wall with loopholes, which served to monitor the access road running directly below. Its founders were perhaps Count Ernst, first mentioned around 1050, and his wife Pilifrid. It wasn't until 1115 that Count Ernst was mentioned again in a document, this time explicitly as "von Hohenburg." In 1210, Hohenburg came into the possession of Margrave Diepold VI of Vohburg through marriage; the four sons from this marriage later called themselves Margraves of Hohenburg. However, this close proximity to power ultimately led to the downfall of the Hohenburg family: When the Hohenburg system collapsed after the death of Emperor Frederick II in 1250, the Hohenburg brothers fell victim to the power struggles and died childless in Sicilian dungeons. In 1258, therefore, control of Hohenburg passed to the Bishop of Regensburg. The castle was repeatedly expanded and rebuilt, but from 1600 onwards, the keepers took up residence in the valley, and the castle fell into disrepair. After the Bavarian state assumed control during the secularization, it was decided in 1812 to demolish all the buildings. Visits to the ruins are officially only permitted with permission from the commandant of the training ground. The community of Hohenburg has long fought to have the Hohenburg ruins permanently accessible – so far in vain. Source: Excerpts from www.burgenseite.de

Houses with a rock massif in the background

View to Kallmünz

Beautiful view of the Naab and the Kallmünz castle ruins.

Very beautiful former Hofmarkburg, which was probably built on the walls of a moated castle, essentially from the 13th century. In the 20th century the chateau was used as a warehouse for hops and grain. The market town has belonged to it since 1937 and has since been used as the town hall. There is a charging station for e-bikes.

It is possible to visit the castle ruins at any time, even if it is part of the "military security area", there is a fairly easy path leading up. The last part is very steep, but you can also push the 10m. https://www.schwarze-laber.de/freizeit-kultur/burgen-schloesser/burgruine-hohenfels/

Rossstein ruins Roßstein is located near Schmidmühlen and Hohenburg in the middle of the lonely Taubenbacher Forest. Chunrad Oerelheimer named himself after the castle for the first time in 1331, so he could be the builder. At that time it was conveniently located on the Bistumer Steig, a trade route from the Eger region. In 1357 the castle came to Rüdiger Punzinger, who was in the service of the Wittelsbach Count Palatine, as a dowry to a daughter of Konrad. Rüdiger made a career and became a nurse in Hohenfels around 1375. After his death, his brother Georg Punzinger succeeded him in 1381 - a pugnacious spirit. He came into conflict with the city of Regensburg around 1400: Apparently he housed shady rabble in his castle, who had repeatedly attacked Regensburg merchants on the street. In the course of this feud, the castle was set on fire by the Regensburgers in 1411, but was rebuilt by Andreas Punzinger. Nevertheless, the Punzinger did not lose their important position. However, the family gradually loses interest in the now remote Roßstein Castle. The Counts Palatine want to buy Roßstein back from the last Punzinger named Mathes, but he refuses. After his death, Roßstein was only inspected by a forester from the Palatinate. In 1550 it caught fire due to carelessness. Lienhart Spieß, appointed as administrator in 1563, no longer renews it, but resides in the Spießhof, which still exists today, at the foot of the castle hill. Since then decay up to our days, around 2000 securing of the remains. The main castle consists of a large, almost rectangular residential tower made of quarry stone. The corners are made of ashlars, one can even find a few hump ashlars. The residential tower has a vaulted basement, a low ground floor with light slits and two spacious upper floors with windows and two head-high, vaulted entrances. Access to the east could be blocked with a locking bar. Even if the castle ruins are rather small, a visit is worthwhile, especially if you combine it with a hike through the beautiful Taubenbach valley and the lonely Taubenbach forest. Far away from major roads, the Upper Palatinate Jura can be experienced in a unique way. Source: Excerpts from www.Burgen-seite.de