Hohnstein Castle, Medieval castle ruins in Neustadt, Germany
Hohnstein Castle is a ruined medieval fortress on a wooded rocky ridge northeast of Neustadt in Thuringia. The remains consist of stone walls and foundations set on a rock outcrop, with an inn built in 1908 standing just below the ruins.
The fortress was founded around 1120 by Konrad von Sangerhausen as the seat of the Counts of Hohnstein, during a period of rivalry between the Hohenstaufen and Guelph dynasties. Over the following centuries the castle fell into ruin, and the site saw no major construction until the inn was raised in 1908.
The name Hohnstein comes from the rocky outcrop on which the fortress was built. Visitors today walk through the same passes once used by travelers crossing between the Harz valleys.
Marked hiking trails lead from Neustadt up to the ruins, and the walk generally takes around 30 minutes. The inn below the castle walls is a good stopping point before or after exploring the site.
The inn below the ruins was built in 1908, closed for decades, and then restored and reopened in 2001, making it one of the few hospitality buildings in the area to return to use after such a long break. Despite its medieval origins, the site today draws mostly hikers rather than history visitors.
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