Burg Falkenberg, Medieval castle in Falkenberg, Germany.
Burg Falkenberg is a hill castle on a granite outcrop above the Waldnaab in Falkenberg, Bavaria. Its oldest wall remains date from the 11th century, and the keep lost a third of its height in 1809 when stones were taken for the parish house. The upper floor now holds eight hotel rooms, and a museum in the castle covers the life of Friedrich-Werner Graf von der Schulenburg.
The oldest wall remains date from the 11th century, and the castle was first mentioned in 1154 through "Pilegrin de Valkenberch". After changing hands among the Falkenbergs, Leuchtenbergs and Waldsassen Abbey, it was shelled and captured by Swedish troops under Königsmarck near the end of the Thirty Years' War. In 1809 a third of the keep was demolished and its stone used for the parish house. Friedrich-Werner Graf von der Schulenburg rebuilt it from 1936 to 1939.
The castle museum presents the life of Friedrich-Werner Graf von der Schulenburg, German ambassador to Moscow from 1934 to 1941, who rebuilt the castle between 1936 and 1939. It also covers his involvement in the 20 July 1944 plot against Hitler, for which he was executed at Plötzensee on 10 November 1944. The castle is part of the museum network das zwoelfer – Die Museen im Landkreis Tirschenreuth.
The castle stands on a granite rock above the Waldnaab, and the climb through Falkenberg's narrow lanes is steep. The upper floor holds eight hotel rooms; the museum and event rooms are open to the public since 2016. The operator is the non-profit association Forum Falkenberg.
The granite outcrop beneath the castle is the type locality of Falkenberg granite, and the geological term Wollsackverwitterung ("woolsack weathering", after stacked sacks) was first applied here. The Bavarian Environment Agency lists the rock as a geotope of special value and as a natural monument, and it carries the seal "Bavaria's most beautiful geotopes".
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