Part 4 - Franconian Switzerland, Bavaria, Germany 2005

Sunday, March 20, 2025 — Some of our work colleagues who are locals arranged to take us on a day trip. They picked us up at our hotel and drove to the Neideck Castle Ruins. Afterwards, we were taken to Ebermannstadt for refreshments, including ice cream and German beer. I was told at the time that the area we were visiting and the beautiful scenery all around us were part of a region in Bavaria known as Franconian Switzerland. Ebermannstadt was called the gateway to Franconian Switzerland. The chief point of interest during our visit was Neideck Castle (Burgruine Neideck); we hiked its vast grounds and got close to some of its refurbished structures.

When we visited the site, I was unaware of its rich medieval history, which accounts for its popularity today, even though its demise started in 1347. History records that in its prime during the 14th century, it was one of Germany’s largest fortresses, spanning 140 by 200 meters. From 1312 it was owned by the powerful Schlüsselberg noble family, who controlled most of the region. In 1347, Count Konrad II von Schlüsselberg angered the bishops in the neighboring cities of Bamberg and Würzburg by illegally imposing a trade toll in the valley. The bishops formed an alliance, besieged the castle, and killed Konrad on September 14, 1347, with a stone fired from a giant catapult (trebuchet). Local lore humorously notes that he was sitting in his "privy chamber" when the rock struck! The castle was destroyed shortly afterward

The castle was rebuilt but burnt down again during the 16th-century wars, after which the ruins were used as a stone quarry. Those stones were used to build the world-famous Würzburg Residence and the Basilica in Gößweinstein.

I enjoyed the visit and took some photos, but it is only now—21 years later—that I can fully appreciate the story told by those photos.