Elsterberg Castle

The castle ruin Elsterberg in Elsterberg on the White Elster is the largest castle ruin in the Vogtland and consists of the remains of a castle complex.

It was preceded by a castle, about 400 meters from the current ruin, above the mouth of the Tremnitzbach into the Elster, called the Old House. Between 1200 and 1225, the Lords of Lobdeburg erected a new castle complex, which, with 1.5 hectares of built-up area, was one of the largest fortresses in Saxony. According to legend, the two castles were connected by underground passages and a leather bridge (Leiterbrücke).

The castle was destroyed in the Vogtland War in 1354 and then rebuilt by 1366. It had double curtain walls of considerable strength and five watchtowers and was the center of the Elsterberg lordship. The former main building had a widely vaulted knight's hall with an open staircase. A well, uncovered in 1932 and once allegedly 26 meters deep, supplied the castle residents with water.

Rudolf von Bünau sold the castle for economic reasons in 1620 to his relative Carol von Bose. Since it was no longer inhabited at the latest under the subsequent owners, it fell into disrepair over time. On May 25, 1909, it was sold for 13,000 Marks to the municipality of Elsterberg, which from then on endeavored to preserve the building.

The ruin grounds are freely accessible. The renovated cellar vaults are used annually for festivities, especially for the local festivals celebrated since 1883. The local history room is located in one of the two preserved round towers.