Falkenberg Castle

Falkenberg Castle is located in the market town of Falkenberg (Upper Palatinate) in the district of Tirschenreuth in Bavaria.

The oldest remains of the still inhabited hilltop castle, which towers over the narrow streets of the town on the Waldnaab, are said to date from the 11th century. The castle was first indirectly mentioned in a document in 1154 in the name of a "Pilegrin de Valkenberch".

Since its inception, this fortified building has had many owners. While it initially belonged to the Falkenbergers and from 1280 to the Leuchtenbergers, the castle came into the possession of Waldsassen Monastery around 1300. Around 1571, it was in Palatinate electoral possession. Shortly before the end of the Thirty Years' War, the castle was shelled and conquered by the Swedish General Königsmarck. During secularization in 1803, the castle became the property of the Kingdom of Bavaria. In 1809, one third of the keep was demolished and the stones were used to build the rectory. Decades later, the castle was placed under monument protection.

From 1936 to 1939, it was rebuilt and restored in accordance with monument preservation guidelines by its then owner, Friedrich Werner von der Schulenburg. The then German ambassador in Moscow wanted to spend his retirement there. However, he was later involved in the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1944, and was therefore executed on November 10, 1944, in Berlin-Plötzensee after a verdict by the People's Court.

In December 2008, the market town of Falkenberg purchased the castle complex.