Marienberg Fortress, Medieval fortress on Marienberg hill, Würzburg, Germany
Marienberg Fortress is a former fortification and prince-bishop's castle on the Marienberg, about 100 metres above the Main in Würzburg. Its oldest surviving part is the small Marienkirche from the early 11th century. The complex includes a four-storey main block with a central round tower capped by a dark dome, a lower wing around a courtyard, and a long bastioned wall running downslope.
Around 1200, under Bishop Konrad von Querfurt, a castle with a bergfried and deep well was built on the hill. From 1253 to 1719 the fortress served as the residence of the prince-bishops of Würzburg. In 1525, during the German Peasants' War, a peasant army of about 15,000 men besieged it unsuccessfully.
The hill's name comes from Saint Mary's Church, the oldest surviving part, built in the early 11th century; it served as the cathedral until 788 and later held the intestines of the prince-bishops. The fortress now houses the Museum für Franken. A small monument at the Tellsteige below the walls recalls the peasants' demands of 1525.
The fortress sits on a hill and is reachable on foot from the city center, with the climb taking about 15 minutes. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes since the terrain is hilly and multiple paths lead through the grounds to explore different buildings.
The Tiefer Brunnen inside the fortress was dug down 100 metres after earlier attempts to link the hill to a spring at Höchberg proved unsatisfactory. It secured the water supply during sieges such as that of 1525, when a peasant army of 15,000 men surrounded the walls.
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