Hohenzollern Castle

Hohenzollern Castle

A castle floating above the hills

On a lone, cone-shaped peak rising sharply from the rolling Swabian countryside in southern Germany, the towers and turrets of Hohenzollern Castle seem almost to float among the clouds. On misty mornings, when the hills below are hidden, the castle appears to hover in the sky. It is one of the most dramatic and beautiful castle settings in all of Germany — and the ancestral home of one of Europe's most powerful dynasties.

The cradle of a dynasty

Hohenzollern is the family seat of the House of Hohenzollern, a dynasty that rose from these Swabian hills to extraordinary heights. Over the centuries the Hohenzollerns became the rulers of Brandenburg and Prussia, then kings of Prussia, and finally — from 1871 to 1918 — emperors of a united Germany. Few families have risen so far from such modest beginnings.

A castle had stood on the peak since the Middle Ages, but it was twice destroyed and rebuilt over the centuries, and by the early 1800s little remained but ruins.

A romantic rebuilding

The castle we see today was built between 1846 and 1867, when the Prussian king Frederick William IV — proud of his family's origins — decided to rebuild Hohenzollern as a grand monument to the dynasty. Working in the romantic Gothic-revival style of the age, his architects created a fairytale castle of towers, battlements and turrets, crowning the peak in spectacular fashion.

Though built in the 1800s, it was designed to look like the noble medieval seat of a great family, blending real history with romantic imagination.

Treasures of the Hohenzollerns

Inside, the castle holds treasures connected to the Hohenzollern kings and emperors, including the crown of the Prussian kings and personal belongings of Frederick the Great, the most famous Prussian ruler. These relics make the castle a kind of treasure house of Prussian and German royal history.

The castle remains connected to the Hohenzollern family to this day, a living link to a dynasty that shaped the history of Germany and Europe.

A spectacular setting

The castle's setting is unforgettable. Reached by a winding road and a climb up the peak, it offers panoramic views over the Swabian Alps and the surrounding country. In every season — spring mists, summer green, autumn colour or winter snow — the castle on its lone hill makes a magical sight, and it is one of the most photographed castles in Germany.

Visiting today

Visitors can climb to the castle, tour its grand rooms and see the Prussian crown and royal treasures, and walk the battlements for breathtaking views over the hills. The dramatic approach and the castle's fairytale silhouette make every visit memorable. Romantic, royal and spectacularly set, Hohenzollern Castle is one of the most beautiful castles in all of Germany.