Is Schloss Wespenstein open to visitors?

The site belongs to a foundation that is gradually restoring it, but no verified information on visiting hours is available.

Why is Martin Luther connected to this castle?

Luther preached in the chapel in 1530 during a visit hosted by Sebastian von Pappenheim.

How did Schloss Wespenstein originate?

It was built around 1250 by the Counts of Orlamünde as a toll house guarding a medieval trade route.

Can weddings be held at Schloss Wespenstein?

The restored chapel on the site is used for weddings and religious services.

Schloss Wespenstein

Wespenstein Castle

Gräfenthal

Visit

Hours to be confirmed

Where: Gräfenthal

Hours and prices not verified at the source yet.

To make a day of it

Open within 20 km

Schloss Wespenstein stands in Gräfenthal (Landkreis Saalfeld-Rudolstadt), in Thuringia, Germany. The building is a listed Baudenkmal. Its opening hours and prices have not been verified at the source yet.

Schloss Wespenstein stands in Gräfenthal, Thuringia, close to the Bavarian border, on the site of a medieval toll house that once guarded a trade route linking Leipzig and Nuremberg. Built around 1250 by the Counts of Orlamünde, it grew into a grand residence under the Pappenheim family in the sixteenth century, hosting Martin Luther and later Emperor Charles V. Now owned by a charitable foundation since 2007, the property still has the chapel where Luther preached, the administrative building and a cistern, while other sections, long ruined, are gradually being excavated and secured.

This place also features in The castles of Martin Luther

What to know

The site is listed as a Kulturdenkmal in Germany.
The chapel, where Luther once preached, has been restored and is used for weddings and religious services.
Parts of the outer walls and the area of the former main entrance remain ruined or partially collapsed.
Excavation and clearing work continues on sections still buried under rubble.
No verified information on opening hours, prices or visit duration is available.

Practical information

Opening hours

Monday (today)	Closed
Tuesday	Closed
Wednesday	Closed
Thursday	Closed
Friday	Closed
Saturday	15:00-16:00
Sunday	15:00-16:00

Opening hours published by the château on its Google listing. We have not yet confirmed them on its official website.

Visit duration: Not verified
Wheelchair access: Not verified
Dogs: Not verified
Parking: Not verified

Where this château is

Gräfenthal · Landkreis Saalfeld-Rudolstadt · Thüringen

Map of the area around Schloss Wespenstein

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This châteauChâteaux within 40 km

Address

Am Schloßberg 1, 98743 Gräfenthal

Directions open from wherever you are, by car or public transport.

Get directions View on a map

4.2 / 5from 141 Google reviews

Heritage status: Kulturdenkmal in Deutschland

In pictures

Frequently asked

Is Schloss Wespenstein open to visitors?: The site belongs to a foundation that is gradually restoring it, but no verified information on visiting hours is available.
Why is Martin Luther connected to this castle?: Luther preached in the chapel in 1530 during a visit hosted by Sebastian von Pappenheim.
How did Schloss Wespenstein originate?: It was built around 1250 by the Counts of Orlamünde as a toll house guarding a medieval trade route.
Can weddings be held at Schloss Wespenstein?: The restored chapel on the site is used for weddings and religious services.