High within the mountainous Fraconian Switzerland of Upper Franconia, Germany, Schloss Greifenstein stands. This Gothic fortress endured since 1172 until the Peasants' War of 1524 to 1525 left stone broken and pillaged.
Marquard Sebastian von Schenk von Stauffenberg, Prince-Bishop of Bamberg, claimed the ruins. Between 1691 and 1693, he orchestrated a Baroque transformation guided by Bavarian architect Leonhard Dientzenhofer. While his official residence remained in Bamberg, this site became Greifenstein Palais as a bishop's seat.
Above the gate, a Latin motto from Luke 6:19 speaks of virtue healing all. The noble Schenk von Stauffenberg family held the castle from 1691. Today, it glimmers along the Burgenstraße as a sanctuary for fine arms and armor.
From 1975 to 1977, Otto Philipp Schenk, Graf von Stauffenberg, conducted a comprehensive restoration. This work preserves the history of the defensive structure.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Aurora
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