Every German Castle Explained

Germany has around 25,000 castles, and most visitors only ever see one: Neuschwanstein. It doesn't come close to the top of this ranking. I judged 15 castles on access, authenticity, and crowds instead of just looks — and counted down from the weakest to the one real castle you should actually plan a trip around. We start at the bottom with Burg Frankenstein's fake Mary Shelley legend and Schloss Lichtenstein, a novel brought to life on a cliff edge, before reaching Neuschwanstein itself — 1.4 million visitors a year for 30 minutes inside a castle Ludwig II barely got to use. Reichsburg Cochem and Heidelberg Castle round out the lower half: one rebuilt after the French blew it up, the other an honest ruin best seen from a funicular. The middle of the ranking covers Burg Hohenzollern's earthquake and Frederick the Great's traveling coffin, Schwerin Castle's ghost and its 2024 UNESCO listing, Nuremberg's Kaiserburg and its 165-foot well, Burg Trifels where Richard the Lionheart was held for ransom, and Pfalzgrafenstein, a medieval tollbooth stranded on an island in the Rhine. At the top: Burg Burghausen, the longest castle complex on Earth; Festung Königstein, never taken in 750 years and the birthplace of European porcelain; the Wartburg, where Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German; the Marksburg, the only Rhine hilltop castle never destroyed; and Burg Eltz, owned by the same family for 34 generations and once printed on the 500 mark note. If a German castle ever beat your expectations, tell me which one in the comments — and subscribe if you want the rest of Germany explained. Kapitel: 0:00 Intro – ranking Germany's castles 0:44 #15 Burg Frankenstein – the fake Mary Shelley legend 2:48 #14 Schloss Lichtenstein – a novel built in stone 4:39 #13 Neuschwanstein – 1.4 million visitors, 30 minutes inside 6:38 #12 Reichsburg Cochem – blown up by the French, rebuilt Victorian 8:28 #11 Heidelberg Castle – the honest ruin 10:26 #10 Burg Hohenzollern – a monument, not a home 12:29 #9 Schwerin Castle – the Neuschwanstein of the North 14:27 #8 Kaiserburg Nuremberg – where every emperor stayed 16:27 #7 Burg Trifels – prison of Richard the Lionheart 18:31 #6 Pfalzgrafenstein – a tollbooth in the Rhine 20:33 #5 Burg Burghausen – the longest castle on Earth 22:33 #4 Festung Königstein – the fortress nobody took 24:39 #3 Wartburg – where Luther remade German 26:35 #2 Marksburg – the Rhine castle war never touched 28:37 #1 Burg Eltz – 34 generations, one family 31:14 The short version – what to actually visit #germany #travel #castle #europe #germancastles