괴시츠‬에서 가장 멋진 ‪16‬개의 동굴

Imposing castle, now a specialist clinic

Also worth a highlight for me; however, it is privately owned and not open to the public

Brandenstein Castle, also known as Brandenstein Castle, stands on a Zechstein reef in the Brandenstein district of the town of Ranis in the Saale-Orla district in Thuringia 🏰.

There has been a fortification on the castle hill since the 11th century. In 1084, Emperor Henry IV enfeoffed Wiprecht von Groitzsch, the later Margrave of Meissen and Lusatia, with the Castrum Ranis - the first documented mention. (Wikipedia)

First written information from the 9th century as a Slavic refuge. Around the year 1000 it was mentioned as a count's hunting lodge and from 1080 as a "fortified house" of the Count of Schwarzburg (Leutenberg line). Over the centuries there were ongoing conversions and extensions to become the count's and widow's residence of the Leutenberg family and the princes of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. 1934 major fire at Friedensburg. Restoration work by the GDR government. From 1958 it served as a guest house for the GDR Council of Ministers. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 it was used as a hotel complex. This was followed by extensive renovation work and the installation of a hospital in 1993. The "Friedensburg Castle" complex opened as a specialist hospital for dermatology. Guided tours of the specialist hospital and the castle complex by appointment. The inner courtyard is recommended for visits 🤩.

We came across it quite by chance on our hike and only then did we realise who it actually belongs to. We also found the doors open during the week and were able to take a look inside. It's great that it is being preserved through private commitment.👌😎

In the end, it was very worth seeing and informative, and the museum staff were also super friendly.

Unsuspectingly, this castle turns out to be a specialist hospital ... what isn't there to discover here