Bavaria is the land of medieval castles. We could fill several weekends looking at King Ludwig’s most beautiful magnificent buildings and admiring fairytale castles. This includes Prunn Castle near Riedenburg. It is one of the most impressive and best-preserved knights’ castles in Bavaria, standing on a steeply rising Jura rock some 70 meters above the Altmühltal valley. Seen from the outside, this castle is the perfect photo opportunity! And you can also easily visit it and learn more about the history of the land.
A knight’s castle straight out of a picture book
One of the most impressive things about Prunn Castle is its location. It rises imposingly and majestically like a fairytale castle or eagle’s nest on a 70-metre-high, steeply sloping rocky outcrop of reef limestone high above the Altmühltal valley. It seems to hover above the slopes. A real knight’s castle like something out of a movie!
Prunn Castle is separated from the hill by a wide moat, which is crossed by a former drawbridge – today a retractable wooden bridge on three pillars. The moat is 20 meters wide and 9 meters deep, which gave the inhabitants of the time an advantage when fending off enemies.
The 31-metre-high, square keep, which dates back to around 1200, rises from the front and bears the Fraunberg coat of arms: a leaping white horse on a red background. From the castle, you have a fantastic view over the Altmühltal valley with the Main-Danube Canal.
On the trail of the Song of the Nibelungs
The Lords of Prunn were first mentioned in a document in 1037 and the castle itself was built around the year 1200. This medieval period was a real heyday of castle building. Prunn Castle changed hands several times in its history. In 1288, it passed from the Laaber family to Duke Ludwig II of Bavaria, who owned enough other castles in the region. Later, Prunn Castle was a fief to the Fraunbergs of Haag.
One of the most important features of the castle is its cultural and historical significance. This is because the so-called “Prunn Codex”, one of the oldest complete manuscripts of the Song of the Nibelungs, was actually found here. In 1566, the court councillor and historian Wiguläus Hund discovered this world-famous manuscript. Today, the codex is housed in the Bavarian State Library in Munich.
However, you can still follow in the footsteps of the Song of the Nibelungs here. You can even still find wall paintings from the early 15th century in Prunn Castle! The castle has been restored several times, most recently in 2010, and houses exhibitions about the Song of the Nibelungs and the castle’s history, which are well worth seeing. Prunn Castle is rightly considered one of the most beautiful castle complexes in Bavaria and thus impressively combines literature with medieval architecture.