Leienfels Castle (Ruin)

The castle ruin Leienfels was a former late medieval noble castle directly northwest of the village of Leienfels in Franconian Switzerland. The location belongs to the town of Pottenstein in the Upper Franconian district of Bayreuth in Bavaria. The castle ruin of the hilltop castle is freely accessible at all times and serves as a viewpoint.

The castle ruin is located in the Franconian Switzerland-Veldenstein Forest Nature Park on the 590-meter-high Leienfelser Schlossberg directly next to the village of Leienfels, about 4.6 kilometers northwest of the church of Betzenstein. The ruin can be reached from the village of Leienfels in a northwesterly direction. At the end of the village, the grounds of the former castle begin.

Nearby, to the west, lies the ruin of Bärnfels Castle; to the north, on the Bleistein near Graisch, the Leuenstein castle site is presumed. To the southeast is the Leupoldstein castle site, and to the southwest, in the Trubach valley, there were also castles, of which ruins or castle sites still exist.

The castle, whose name is probably derived from Löwenfels (Lion Rock), is one of the later castle foundations in Franconian Switzerland and was probably built only at the beginning of the 14th century. Seibot I von Egloffstein, who is documented from 1285–1332, is assumed to be the builder.

The castle was first mentioned in a document in 1372. The knight Götz von Egloffstein had to commit himself, after a feud, to serve the Bishop of Bamberg with his part of the castle, which had probably been allodial until then.

In 1380, the castle was conquered by the troops of the Bishop of Bamberg and Burgrave Friedrich V of Nuremberg. Götz von Egloffstein became a prisoner in Nuremberg. His successors were also frequently involved in feuds. Thus, the castle was conquered again in 1397, this time by the League of Cities.

In 1502, Jobst I von Egloffstein sold the castle to the Bishop of Bamberg. The castle became the seat of a small episcopal office.

During the Peasants' War in 1525, the castle was severely damaged. However, the garrison under Otto von Mengersdorf was able to prevent its capture. The castle was immediately restored. In the Second Margrave War in 1553, the castle was again severely damaged. This time, reconstruction was slow.

In 1594, Leienfels was annexed to the episcopal office of Pottenstein. In 1610, the complex was already described as no longer habitable. In the Thirty Years' War, in 1643, a repair of the castle was no longer considered worthwhile. In 1646, the tiles were removed from the remaining buildings, and the complex was left to decay.