Hohenzollern Castle Castle

Address: Burg Hohenzollern, 72379 Bisingen/Hechingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Website: https://www.burg-hohenzollern.com

Hours: Daily Apr-Oct 9:00am-6:00pm; Nov-Mar 10:00am-4:00pm (museum and treasury hours may differ)

Admission: Adult €12-15 (seasonal variations); reduced and family tickets available

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.

Driving: From Hechingen follow L361 to B27, then the well-signposted road to Burg Hohenzollern; parking is available at the base. Public Transport: Take DB regional trains to Hechingen (about 45-60 minutes from Stuttgart); local buses connect to the castle valley but service is infrequent - most visitors take a taxi or shuttle from Hechingen station. The climb from the lower car park is 20-30 minutes on a forest path; shuttles run in high season.

• Use the lower (south) car park and walk the 20-30 minutes up the forest path for the best approach - the castle's silhouette gradually reveals itself and photos taken from the road feel contrived.
• Arrive by 9:30am when the first guided tours start to avoid coach groups that arrive late morning.
• Buy combination tickets that include the treasury to see the Hohenzollern crown jewels - they're small but splendid.
• If the weather is clear, climb the tower for a 360° view of the Swabian Alps; bring a windproof layer.