Plassenburg

Plassenburg is a castle in the city of Kulmbach in Bavaria. It is one of the most impressive castles in Germany and a symbol of the city. It was first mentioned in 1135. From 1340, the Hohenzollerns governed from Plassenburg castle their territories in Franconia till 1604. The Plassenburg was fortress an residence for the Hohenzollern.

It was destroyed in 1554 at the end of the second Margravian war (1552 - 1554) of margrave Albert Alcibiades. The Plassenburg was later rebuilt by the architect Caspar Vischer as an impressive stronghold as a huge palace. 1792 margrave Alexander sold the Plassenburg to his cousin, the King of Prussia. A combined bavarian and french army under the command of Jerome Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, besieged the Plassenburg in 1806. In 1810, Kulmbach became Bavarian and the castle was used as a prison and as a military hospital. During the second world war, the Organisation Todt used the Plassenburg as a training camp and recreation home. Today, it is a museum and a venue for cultural events.

It contains a significant collection of Prussian military artifacts and portraits.

References

German language Wikipedia: [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plassenburg Plassenburg] . Retrieved October 18, 2005.