Hohenzollern Castle

Hohenzollern Castle is a hilltop fortress in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, and a prominent example of 19th-century historicist reconstruction built on the site of earlier medieval castles. It is associated with the Hohenzollern dynasty and is a major regional tourist attraction.

Visitors come for the castle’s restored interior exhibitions, which present dynastic history and period rooms, and for the extensive terraces and battlements that offer extensive views over the surrounding Swabian hills. The current castle dates from a 19th-century rebuilding that sought to evoke medieval architecture.

The site stands atop a solitary hill above the surrounding countryside near the towns of Hechingen and Bisingen and is accessible by road and marked visitor approaches.

• 19th-century reconstruction: The current neo-Gothic castle was built in the mid-19th century on the site of earlier medieval fortifications and is privately owned by the Hohenzollern family.

What to See #

• Inner keep and bailey: The central keep and inner bailey contain the castle's main exhibition spaces, period rooms and visitor routes through the reconstructed core.
• Castle chapel: The castle chapel houses funerary monuments and has been part of the site's exhibition of dynastic history.
• Terraces and battlements: Terraces, walkways and battlements provide panoramic views across the surrounding Swabian countryside and the nearby towns of Hechingen and Bisingen.