Germany - Rabenstein Castle

Rabenstein Castle (Burg Rabenstein) lies in the heart of Franconian Switzerland, nestled on a rock high above the valley of the river Ailsbach. It is situated along the so called (famous) “Castle Road’, which connects more than 90 castles in Germany.

The castle was first mentioned in the year of 1188. The castle owners changed many times over the centuries and the original building was reconstructed, extended and redesigned. The castle came - after 300 years - again into the ownership of the Rabensteins in 1557. Daniel von Rabenstein let it be redesigned into a three-winged Renaissance complex, which was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War (1618 - 1648).

After he lineage died out in 1742 the castle was bought by the counts von Schönborn. On the occasion of a visit of the Bavarian King Ludwig I and his wife the half ruined complex was restructured into a baroque castle in 1830. The estate remained in the possession of the counts von Schönborn until 1975.

In 2004 the property was bought by a commercial company and nowadays it houses a 22-room hotel. The castle is also used for events, conferences and weddings. Parts of the castle can be visited by a guided tour.