Greifenstein Castle

Greifenstein Castle is located in the Hammelburg military training area, directly above the depopulated village of Bonnland in the district of Bad Kissingen in Bavaria. The castle can therefore only be visited during an open day of the Bundeswehr.

Greifenstein Castle was presumably built from 1558 by Philipp III. von Thüngen. A keystone with the year 1565 was found on a gable, which confirms this construction period. During a renovation in the late 1970s, no evidence of a predecessor building was found.

In 1657, Greifenstein was sold to Major General Hans-Georg von Rußwurm. In 1726, Greifenstein was rebuilt in its current form. In 1732, the von Russwurm family died out and the Counts of Gleichen took over the castle through marriage as Imperial Barons of Gleichen-Russwurm.

In 1793, Friedrich von Schiller visited the castle with his wife Charlotte on his journey from Weimar to Stuttgart.

In 1828, Schiller's youngest daughter Emilie married Heinrich Adalbert von Gleichen-Russwurm and lived at Greifenstein from then until her death in 1872.

Her son Heinrich Ludwig, a German Impressionist and professor at the Grand Ducal Art School in Weimar, lived and painted in Bonnland.

In 1895, Schiller's great-grandson Alexander von Gleichen-Rußwurm, a former officer and well-known cultural-historical writer, lived and worked at Greifenstein, where he established the Schiller Archive.

In 1936, Greifenstein was renovated. The Schiller Archive was moved to Marbach am Neckar and is now located in the German Literature Archive.

In 1938, Bonnland and its castle were depopulated and became part of the Hammelburg military training area, which had existed since 1893. After the Second World War, refugees were housed in Greifenstein.

In 1982, Greifenstein was renovated. The castle is a protected monument. The military training area continues to be used, but Greifenstein Castle, unlike the village of Bonnland, is a restricted area for the training troops.