Germany · 13th century
Situated atop a basalt hill, Braunfels Castle (German: Schloss Braunfels) overlooks the spa town of Braunfels in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis, Hesse, Germany. Since the 13th century, it has served as the residence and seat of government for the Counts, and later Princes, of Solms-Braunfels. Remarkably, the castle remains in the possession of the family to this day, now under the stewardship of the Counts of Oppersdorff-Solms-Braunfels.
Braunfels Castle commands the surrounding landscape, extending its presence deep into the Lahn Valley, and serves as a scenic and cultural counterpart to Schaumburg Castle in the lower Lahn Valley. In the 19th century, the castle was extensively remodeled in the Gothic Revival style, characterized by the deliberate use of distinctive forms. As a result, Braunfels Castle stands as an exceptional example of the romantic and historicist architecture of that period in Germany.
Today, the Princely family has opened the castle to the public to visit. Also, the castle serves as a filming location.
Text adapted from “Braunfels Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Schloss Braunfels ranks #1,021 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #79 of the 711 mapped in Germany. Founded c. 1250, it is older than 67% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 1080 atlas entries founded in the 13th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 8,613 times in the last 60 days, more than 92% of the atlas. 5 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Wiesbaden, 49 km away. See how Germany compares in the castle statistics.
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