Burg Gruttenstein, Medieval castle in Bad Reichenhall, Germany

Burg Gruttenstein is a stone fortress positioned on a hilltop overlooking Bad Reichenhall, with residential and farm buildings arranged around a central courtyard. The layout shows typical medieval fortification features with thick walls and gateways.

Duke Ludwig I of the Wittelsbach family ordered construction of this fortress in 1218 to protect Bad Reichenhall and its valuable salt springs. The structure was a strategic military work designed to secure the region's trade routes and natural resources.

The castle's name, Gruttenstein, is first documented in 1196, when Reichenhall and Gruttenstein were destroyed by the Archbishop of Salzburg. From the 13th century it served as the administrative seat of the ducal-Bavarian official who managed the Pfleggericht of Reichenhall, which is why the complex is often called a Schloss. Since 2007 it has been in private ownership and is being extensively renovated.

The castle stands at Pfannhauserweg 3 above the town centre of Bad Reichenhall, on a rise at 500 m. Since 2007 it has been in private ownership and under renovation, with reopening to the public planned once the work is finished. It is a station on the Reichenhaller Burgenweg, a roughly 30 km circular trail linking 17 castles, palaces and fortifications in and around Bad Reichenhall.

The highest point of Burg Gruttenstein is not a tower but the shield wall running east to west, which was formerly part of Bad Reichenhall's town wall. The castle is also a station on the Reichenhaller Burgenweg, a roughly 30 km circular trail linking 17 castles, palaces and fortifications in and around the town.