The remains of the Castle can be visited
RuinParkstein
Parkstein Castle (Ruin)
Parkstein Castle was once one of the largest castles in the Upper Palatinate and stood on the summit of the Parkstein basalt cone in the middle of the village of the same name.
According to legend, an imperial hunting party, while pursuing a wild boar, became aware of the beautiful basalt cone, so one of the hunters decided to build a spur castle there.
As can be seen on a copper engraving by Matthäus Merian from 1644 (see overview panel), the castle that once stood here was one of the largest in the Nordgau. Documents already mention the incineration of the Parkstein fortress in 1052.
Owners of Parkstein Castle+
After its reconstruction, the counts of Sulzbach lived in this castle, with their ministerials serving as lords of Parkstein. Further owners were then
- in the 12th century Frederick Barbarossa,
- 1251 Duke Otto II of Bavaria,
- the imperial city of Nuremberg,
- Bohemia,
- the Leuchtenbergers
- and finally the Wittelsbachs.
In the mid-18th century, the demolition of the fortified castle began. Among other things, in 1756, the tower of the city parish church of Weiden was built from ashlar stones of the powder tower, and after 1835, the village of Parkstein, which had burned down shortly before, was rebuilt from the still considerable remains of the fortress. Today, only a few sparse remnants remain on the steep slope of the basalt cone. On the summit, a chapel now stands in place of the castle.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 49.7319, 12.0700