Schülzburg, Castle ruin near Anhausen, Germany.
Schülzburg is a castle ruin perched on a rocky spur about 30 meters (100 feet) above Lauter Valley. The remains show three-story residential buildings with large window openings and thick stone walls, along with traces of a drawbridge and garden areas.
Knight Walther von Stadion built this fortress around 1329, and it passed through several different owners over the centuries. A fire in February 1884 destroyed it completely, bringing its long history to an abrupt end.
The chapel documented from 1508 onward shows how faith and military defense were intertwined in medieval life. You can still observe today how these two purposes shared the same spaces within the fortification.
The ruins are accessible with information panels that explain the medieval architecture and layout. Wear sturdy shoes because the ground is steep and rocky in places.
This ruin was continuously inhabited longer than any other fortress in Lauter Valley before the 1884 fire struck. This extended period of occupation makes it a rare example of how fortifications endured as lived-in places over many generations.
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