Reichenstein Castle (Ruin)

The castle ruin Reichenstein is located on the Reichenstein in the Schönseer Land above the municipality of Stadlern in the Upper Palatinate district of Schwandorf in Bavaria. The ruin of the hilltop castle is located on the summit of the Reichenstein, an elevation in the Upper Palatinate Forest near Stadlern. It lies at 874 meters above sea level.

The Upper Palatinate is the region with the most castles in Germany. In the immediate vicinity of Reichenstein were the castles Frauenstein near Weiding, Flossenbürg, Leuchtenberg, Trausnitz, Tännesberg, Gleiritsch (Plassenberg Castle), Haus Murach (Obermurach) and Thanstein. In the Middle Ages, trade routes to the east led through the area. However, invasions of the newly settled areas of the Bavarian Nordgau also repeatedly occurred from the east.

Nothing is known about the origin and builders of the hilltop castle Reichenstein. It probably originated in the 12th to 13th century from an early settlement center. In the 13th century, the castle was owned by the Bohemian lords of Hostau. In 1333, it came into the possession of the Landgraves of Leuchtenberg through purchase. "On May 29, 1350, the Landgraves of Leuchtenberg pledged their lordships Pleistein and Reichenstein to King Charles IV as a Bohemian fief." On January 28, 1366, Reichenstein with Schönsee came to Landgrave Johann of Leuchtenberg, and on April 23, 1416, Reichenstein with Schönsee was sold to the knight Tobias von Waldau. In 1431, the Hussites conquered Reichenstein. Duke Johann of Neunburg achieved the return of the castle through a siege on September 14, 1432. In 1514, Jobst Schlüsselfelder, Hans Reich, and Hieronymus Holfelder bought Reichenstein Castle and the town of Schönsee from Ulrich, Jörgen, and Sebastian von Waldau for 3900 Rhenish guilders. Since the purchase price had not yet been fully paid, the sellers kept Reichenstein and Schönsee as collateral. Heinrich von Plauen, Count of Hartenstein, followed as another owner. "Shortly thereafter, the lordship of Reichenstein-Schönsee came into the possession of the knight Thomas Fuchs von Wallburg." Fuchs also owned the lordships of Schneeberg, Tiefenbach, Frauenstein, and Winklarn. Reichenstein-Schönsee and Frauenstein-Winklarn remained together until the 19th century. Administration was carried out from the newly built Winklarn Castle in the 16th century.