Lichtenstein Castle seemed to have descended from the pages of a knightly novel. And this is not a metaphor at all. The future owner of the architectural wonder, Duke Wilhelm of Urach, Count von Württemberg was so inspired by Wilhelm Hauff's novel Lichtenstein that he wanted to build a wonderful castle where his favorite hero, the knight Ulrich, lived. It was decided to erect it on the site of the old fortress Alt-Lichtenstein, which by that time had already completely fallen into disrepair. The construction of Liechtenstein took two years. The Count personally supervised all the actions of the architect Karl Heideloff and his team.
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| Lichtenstein Castle |
In 1842 Lichtenstein Castle was built. The architects built the old bridge, mysterious stone grottoes, and a tower with battlements and windows. The castle looks like a splendid backdrop for a historical film! It is said that Count von Württemberg created a home theater in the castle, where he himself directed and acted out scenes from his favorite book.
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| Lichtenstein Castle |
The count was generally a great original and a fan of Swabian culture. There is a legend according to which it was Count von Württemberg who invented his own way of baking the popular German pretzels (brezels). As for Lichtenstein Castle, it still belongs to the Count's descendants. At different times, the English queen, the princes of Monaco and other representatives of the European aristocracy came to look at the scenery brought to life. Now the premises of Liechtenstein are a museum of medieval weapons, and there are observation platforms around the castle, from where you can admire the idyllic countryside and dense forests of the Swabian Alb. In summer and spring, from April to September, the castle is open to the public every day, in December and January the castle is closed, and in the rest of the months you can get here only on weekends and holidays.