Wiesentfels Castle

Wiesentfels Castle is a rock castle above the Wiesentfels district of the Upper Franconian town of Hollfeld in the district of Bayreuth. The castle is privately owned and can be visited. It towers 40 meters high on a rock above the Wiesent valley.

From 1333 to 1938, the castle was owned by the Counts of Giech. Knight Albert von Giech received the castle in 1333 as a fief from the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg. In 1412, two-thirds of the castle, known as Unterwiesentfels, were granted to Heinz von Schaumberg, and in 1415, one-third of the castle, known as Oberwiesentfels, was granted to Hans II von Giech.

After the Hussite invasion in 1433, Oberwiesentfels was described as desolate and disappeared from the feudal registers in 1467. From 1476 to 1481, Wiesentfels Castle was rebuilt. In 1487, the brothers Otto and Dietz von Giech received half of the new castle as a fief from the Prince-Bishopric. In 1525, it was burned down by rebellious peasants and subsequently rebuilt in the old style by Count Achaz von Giech.

In 1632, the Prince-Bishopric confiscated the fief of the Protestant nobles and enfeoffed Colonel Hans Wolf von Salis with it. In 1654, the Lords of Giech were again enfeoffed with Wiesentfels, and in 1695 they were elevated to the rank of count. From then on, the castle remained the residence and property of the Counts of Giech until 1938, when the last count died. The heirs sold it in 1969, and it was sold again in 2009.