Hohenzollern Castle in Germany – fairytale castle on top of a mountain

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: August 2026 | Burg Hohenzollern is one of those castles that almost looks too perfect to be real. High up on the Zollerberg mountain in southern Germany, towers, walls and battlements rise above the landscape. To get in, you have to go through gates, tunnels and a spiral-shaped defense system – and once at the top, both magnificent halls and a fantastic view await.

We came here by camper van during a trip through southern Germany and spent the night just below the castle. The next day we just had to start climbing up.

Hohenzollern Castle in southern Germany

Hohenzollern Castle is located in Baden-Württemberg, just south of the town of Hechingen and about sixty kilometers south of Stuttgart. The castle is located on the 855-meter-high Zollerberg mountain and is visible from afar as you approach.

It is quite a dramatic location. High above the green landscape lies the castle with its many towers and defensive walls. On clear days, there is also a vast view of the Swabian Alb and the surrounding countryside.

We had seen pictures of Burg Hohenzollern before we came here and thought it looked awesome. In reality, it was hardly less impressive.

Hohenzollern – a powerful dynasty

The castle is the old ancestral estate of the Hohenzollern family. The family eventually became one of Europe's most powerful dynasties, ruling over Prussia, among other things. When the German Empire was formed in 1871, the Prussian King Wilhelm I also became Germany's first emperor.

But the history of the Hohenzollern family here on Zollerberg goes back much further than that. The first castle was built as early as the 11th century. It was completely destroyed in 1423 after a ten-month siege, and a few decades later a new fortress was built on the same site. It would not survive in its original state either.

The third castle on the mountain

During the Thirty Years' War, the second castle was reinforced with new defensive structures. However, over time, it lost its importance, maintenance was neglected, and weather, wind and earthquakes contributed to its decay. By the beginning of the 19th century, it was basically a ruin.

Then a romantically inclined Prussian crown prince appeared. In 1819, the future King Frederick William IV visited the ruins and was so fascinated that he decided to one day rebuild the family's old ancestral estate.

And he did. Between 1850 and 1867, today's Burg Hohenzollern was built in a romantic neo-Gothic style according to drawings by the architect Friedrich August Stüler. It is easy to think that you are looking at a medieval knight's castle - but most of what we see today is from the 19th century.

A castle that would impress

Frederick William IV had great ambitions. This would not just be a house to live in, but a monument to the history of the Hohenzollern family.

And it certainly impresses. The way in is already part of the experience. From the entrance you make your way up an ingenious spiral ramp, through gates, arches and dark passages before finally arriving at the courtyard.

The impressive driveway was designed by the Prussian fortress builder Moritz von Prittwitz and is considered a masterpiece of military architecture of the time.

It was this part that caught our attention when we visited the castle. You walk around and around and through one gate after another – and all the time it feels like you're getting a little closer to the secret up there.

Friedrich August Stüler – with connections to Sweden

The architect behind Burg Hohenzollern, Friedrich August Stüler, actually appears in more places that we Swedes can recognize. He worked on the Neues Museum in Berlin and Schwerin Castle, among other things - but also designed National Museum in Stockholm.

A bit of fun anyway. The same architect who helped create this dramatic knight's castle on top of a German mountain has also left his mark in the middle of Stockholm.

Visiting Burg Hohenzollern

From the parking lot below the castle you can walk up. It's not a very long distance, but it is quite steep. If you want to save your legs, there is a shuttle bus between the parking lot and Adlertor, the castle entrance. The shuttle is now included in the entrance ticket.

Inside the area there is, among other things, a courtyard, two chapels, a restaurant and the historical rooms. The Catholic Michaelskapelle is particularly interesting because it is the only building from the previous 15th-century castle that was incorporated into the new complex. When the castle was rebuilt in the 19th century, the Protestant Christuskapelle was also added.

Inside Hohenzollern Castle

When we visited the castle, we had to wear felt slippers over our shoes and photography indoors was prohibited. This is changing, and today the visit looks different. Nowadays, you can take photographs and film for private use even inside the museum rooms, as long as you don't use a flash or tripod. Photography is still prohibited in the treasury.

Among the rooms are magnificent halls, salons and the family's historical rooms. Here it is really noticeable that the 19th century castle builders were not looking for some discreet minimalism. It was supposed to be magnificent. And it turned out magnificent.

The Treasury and the Prussian Royal Crown

One of the major attractions is the treasury, where objects from the history of the Hohenzollern family are displayed. Here, among other things, is the Prussian royal crown, which was made for the coronation of Wilhelm II as King of Prussia in 1888. You can also see personal objects connected to several of the most famous members of the Prussian royal family.

For those interested in European history, the castle is therefore more than just a spectacular building. It also tells the story of a dynasty that was of great importance for the development of Prussia and later Germany for centuries.

Hohenzollern Castle is still privately owned

A rather fascinating detail is that Burg Hohenzollern is still privately owned by the family whose history began here around a thousand years ago.

Since the end of 2025, the entire building has been owned by Georg Friedrich Prince of Prussia, head of the Prussian branch of the House of Hohenzollern. Previously, the Prussian branch owned two-thirds while the Swabian branch owned the remaining third.

It's quite staggering when you think about it. A thousand years of family history – and the castle is still within the same dynasty.

Hohenzollern Castle by motorhome

For those of us traveling by motorhome, Burg Hohenzollern is also a convenient destination. When we were here, we spent the night in the upper parking lot below the castle, and the option is still available today.

Parking P1 has five special spaces for campers, for a small fee. When we were here there was no service at the site, but we were able to use the toilets in the parking lot. So it is more of a camper parking lot than a fully equipped parking space – but the location is of course hard to beat if you want to visit the castle.

Is Hohenzollern Castle worth a visit?

We definitely think so. Burg Hohenzollern is perhaps not a genuinely preserved medieval castle in the way one might first believe. Today's castle is above all a romantic 19th-century vision of what a mighty knight's castle could look like.

But that hardly makes it any less spectacular. The location on the mountain, the path through all the gates, the view, the magnificent rooms and the history of the Hohenzollern family make this one of the castles in Germany that really stands out.

And when you see the silhouette high up on Zollerberg, you understand why we once decided to drive here. It simply looks very cool!

See more in Germany

Do you want to continue your journey and find more exciting places to visit? Here you will find tips and reports about the places you can discover in the southern part of Germany:

• Neuschwanstein Castle
• Baroque Castle Rastatt
• The spa town of Baden-Baden

The top image in this post is a photo from Pixabay.