An enormous red sandstone pile crowded on to a 755 m-high promontory in the woods, this is a textbook medieval castle.

Completely enclosed by imposing battlements and entered by a single massive gate, it is awash with turrets and towers. The main look-out can be wreathed in mist while the sun shines in the courtyards, or the whole castle can disappear into the clouds. The original fortress, founded by Frederick of Hohenstaufen (the ‘One-Eyed’) in the 12thC was rebuilt in the 15th-16thC, but largely dismantled by Swedish troops during the Thirty Years War (1633). At the turn of this century, Emperor Wilhelm II (‘Kaiser Bill’) had the whole thing reconstructed and furnished in 15th-17thC style. Despite the moans of purists, who object to the florid neo-Gothic decoration, the architectural details have been carefully copied from similar buildings and there is plenty to admire along the way.