On top of a hill just outside the village center is the well-preserved Burg Murach - also called Haus Murach. The castle was built at a time when numerous castles were being built in the Upper Palatinate to protect the trade route to Prague. The castle changed hands countless times and eventually came into the possession of the Bavarian royal family.

In 1803 the castle was sold to a private individual who let it fall into disrepair. In the middle of the 20th century, the state of Bavaria bought back the castle and had it repaired bit by bit over the years.

To visit the castle, you have to contact the castle warden on 09671 - 91 234. He will then give you the key to the site.

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Rombea

July 9, 2020

Only a ruin remains of Murach Castle, which was mentioned for the first time in 1110 and was once so impressive. It was built on the hilltop by the Counts of Sulzbach and passed on to the Counts of Ortenburg by marriage after the extinction of the male line, in the possession of the Wittelsbach family from the 13th century the plant. On the approximately 20 meter high tower there is a viewing platform from which you have a wonderful panoramic view of the surrounding area. The former castle is one of the largest and most impressive castles along the Bohemian border.

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Staufer

February 8, 2025

Castle ruins Haus Murach

"Gerunc de Mourach" appears for the first time in a document in 1110. At that time he accompanied his feudal lord, the powerful Count Berengar II of Sulzbach, on the Italian campaign of Berengar's protégé, King Henry V. After the male line of the Sulzbach family died out, the Counts of Ortenburg inherited part of their dominion with the main towns of Warberg (Burgstall near Neunburg) and Murach in 1188. Later, the Ortenburgers even called themselves Counts of Murach. The ministerial family with the leading name Gerunc remained present in Obermurach. From 1268 to 1272, Obermurach was sold to the Upper Bavarian Duke Ludwig in a series of contracts.
The castle was continually expanded and became famous for its stability; the Hussites besieged it in 1428 and 1433, but were unable to take it.
During the course of the 14th century, the Murachers spread out to several castles in the Upper Palatinate region, for example to Thanstein or to Flügelsberg in the Altmühl valley. In 1489, Albrecht von Murach was a member of the Löwler uprising against the Bavarian duke. Obermurach survived these turbulences and even the Thirty Years' War relatively unscathed, but this can be explained by the fact that it had lost its military importance by then. In 1805, Obermurach, which was still well preserved at the time, was partially demolished and the stones used to build houses in the village. It was only secured from 1842 by the Oberviechtach district court; today it belongs to the Free State of Bavaria.

You enter the extensive outer bailey through a simple gate, which is surrounded by a still well-preserved, high ring wall. It was mainly used for utility and residential buildings.

The older inner bailey, which is located a little higher up, is on the east side of the complex. A 2 m thick shield wall shields it from the attack side in the south. The main castle is dominated by the 20 m high, square keep and a large tower-like residential building. The keep, with an entrance at a height of 8.5 m, was built in the lower part from large, regular granite blocks and probably dates from the 13th century.
The castle chapel was probably located to the southwest of the keep, and the remains of a semicircular wall tower can be seen to the west.

Source: Extracts from burgenseite.de

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Location: Oberviechtach, Schwandorf, Upper Palatinate, Bavaria, Germany

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