Munich is a diverse and historic city teeming with historic buildings. With Blutenburg and Nymphenburg Palaces as well as the Residenz, we also have a few stately residences to boast of, and Grünwald Castle is not far away either. What the Bavarian capital lacks, however, is a castle ruin. If you want to visit one, you’ll have to take a trip outside of Munich. You can kill two birds with one stone by visiting the Allgäu, where the ruins of Eisenberg and Hohenfreyberg are just a 20-minute walk apart and can easily be visited in a single day—and completely free of charge.
The twins on the mountains
Eisenberg Castle was built in 1315 by the nobleman Peter von Hohenegg at an elevation of 1,055 meters near Pfronten in the Allgäu. Soon after, it fell into the hands of the Habsburgs, who in turn granted Eisenberg as a fief to Friedrich von Freyberg. The wall once ran all the way around the entire complex, which is why a keep was not built. Today, the remains of the farm and residential buildings can still be seen inside. In addition, the castle had two palaces and a chapel.
Hohenfreyberg Castle was built by Friedrich von Freyberg a good 100 years after Eisenberg and was one of the last new castles constructed at that time. By the 15th century, many nobles had already abandoned their castles or had them converted into opulent palaces. Hohenfreyberg towers 1,040 meters above the Allgäu as a hilltop castle and, unlike Eisenberg, featured a keep. Both castles, along with Falkenstein, which was also nearby, were abandoned and burned down at the end of the Thirty Years’ War. Since then, only their ruins remain, greeting you from afar.
A Journey Through Time with Eisenberg and Hohenfreyberg
You can visit both castle ruins for free all year round. It’s only a 20-minute walk between Eisenberg and Hohenfreyberg, so you can visit the twin ruins one after the other. But be sure to make a detour beforehand to the Castle Museum in the village of Eisenberg at the foot of the castles, where you can learn more about their history and the excavations. For children, a visit to Eisenberg and Hohenfreyberg will be especially exciting if you print out this questionnaire beforehand. Fill it out and hand it in at the Schlossbergalm to receive a little surprise. You can also stop by here right away to refuel after your expedition.
The ruins offer you a wonderful view of their respective sister castles as well as the surrounding Allgäu and the Tyrolean Alps. Eisenberg is also home to the transmitter for the radio program RSA Allgäu. You can also spot Hohenfreyberg in the telenovela “Sturm der Liebe,” for which it served as a backdrop in 2007.
