harburg castle

The castle is quiet stunning, especially the walk around to enjoy the view of the town.There's plenty of signs explaining the history of the castle and there's a great restaurant/ pub at the upper ward.

- I stopped here in 2004 but didn't go in partly as I didn't know how much it was. This time I was going in whatever so I paid my four fifty euros and took the tour (compulsory if you want to see more than the courtyard). I've been to bigger castles and had better tours but somehow the enthusiasm of the guide made you feel like you were seeing more than the actuality.

the Harburg castle was on our tour to Rothenburg. it was a lovely old castle, we had a very good guide who spoke eng. it must have been terrible in old days. the Harburg castle is well worth a stop.

Beautiful well kept castle.The tour is interesting and the price (5€) very reasonable.The only problem is that the tour is in German only....ridiculous for a touristic place !!!!

My husband and I stayed here while we were on the romantic road trip. It took a little while to find e castle, but just keep going up! You'll get there eventually. The room was in the east Tower of castle, and I felt like such a princess! The room was great, the staff was very friendly, and there were so many little paths around the castle that you could take to start the day off.

Though its origins date earlier, this castle played an important role in the thirty years war. This is a fortress style of castle, not chateau or manor house. An interesting part of its military history is it is one of the first castle to have gun ports designed for snipers. Another distinguishing feature of this castle is the chapel which changed hands several times during the thirty years war. Currently, according to treaty dating to the end of that war, the chapel is Protestant as long the congregation meets there at least a portion of the year. Because it is not heated, they choose to meet in the village during the winter and at the chapel during the summer. If they ever fail to meet there one year, the chapel reverts back to the Catholics. If you are a history buff, particularly of the Thirty Year’s War time period be sure and let the guide know. Hopefully, you will be fortunate enough to have our guide. She spoke excellent English and was of Swedish origin, so naturally, a Gustav fan. She was very excited to tell us more history and information than we might have learned had she not known of our interest.

This was one of our stops along our trip down the Romantic Road, and I have to admit it was one of the least impressive and least interesting stops. It is enjoyable walking around the castle grounds and the fortified walls and seeing some of the rooms, but you can only explore with a tour guide and the tour is only in German, so if you speak any other language you will miss a lot. There is a decent pamphlet you can get in your language for an extra 50 cents, though. I would recommend skipping this stop and saving your money for one of the other palaces (Wurzburg palace, for example) along the Romantic Road. I actually forgot we even visited this palace until I was looking through pictures later...

Visited in August 2012. We visited this 14th century castle as part of a romantic road bus tour and we felt as though we had stepped back in time to such a different way of life. The walls of the 'fortress', as that was what the castle was to the people of the area, are 3 metres thick, it has a walk around with slots in the walls for shooting arrows. There is also something which was an innovation in it's time - openings for firing large wooden ball, which through clever design, enabled someone to propel the rolled ball and then close the hole to protect themselves. Within the thick walls of the castle, there is a room with a huge chamber below the floor. When the town was under attack, the people would enter the room and go down into the chamber, surrounded by 3 metre walls with food and water supplies, they would wait out the battle. We also saw a sort of portable stock - which held two, and was used in medieval times on people who were caught arguing, holding their heads and hands so they were facing one another, they were then made to stand - no sitting, no toilet breaks for up to 24 hours in the public square. People would walk by and throw rubbish or spit on them - it was meant to be very demeaning. The views of the country around the fortress (fortress meaning a defensive building on a hill) were wonderful. Looking down on the surrounding countryside, it was easy to imagine being under seige and having taken refuge. A must visit.

This is a very well preserved old castle and shows what a real castle is like, its not laced with gold and jewells but depicts life as it would have been, our tour guide was fantastic, she was very descriptive and had very good english. Overall was worth the visit. The cafe there however was terrible, staff were extremely rude and unhelpful after our bus broke down, one staff member abusing an elderly couple sitting beside me.

Worth the visit to view this well preserved 11th-12th century castle. We did the English guided tour which provided fascinating history and significance for the castle. The 20-30 min tour was actually quite good and we thought it added value to the visit. We were able to take photos inside except for 2 rooms. Great time spent for those who love medieval history and fortress castles.

Went to Harburg Castle as part of a tour that came here first and then headed to Rothenburg. Our guide was knowledgeable and spoke English, which was convenient for us. The tour was interesting, but very brief. You are not allowed to take any pictures inside the castle. I took some good shots outside. This is a 900 year old castle that is remarkably preserved. It was a good way to spend the morning. There were bathrooms conveniently located in a cafe that was on the castle grounds. We went to the cafe to grab a cold drink after our tour. Someone else in our tour group ordered an ice cream treat. It was huge and looked yummy.

Had a terrific tour by a nice older lady who obviously cared a great deal about the castle and its history. You may end up on a German language tour, but you will get a good information sheet in English. And the tour guide will probably be able to answer your questions in English as well. Try to get there early if you can because it seems to be busier later in the day.

As German castles go, this offers more to see than most. It is magnificently placed atop a steep hill and is very photogenic. There is an outer wall that reflects its history as a fortress. As with many castles that are still occupied, it has been renovated repeatedly throughout its history. The tour takes you through renovations made in recent centuries. Yes, doors are locked behind you as this is a residence and a hotel. It is no longer a fortress. Yes, the tours are in German as most visitors are German. It is the height of arrogance to travel in foreign countries and expect the natives to speak your language. There are brochures in several languages that explain in broad terms the history and furnishings. Even if you do not speak German, there is still plenty to see and you will understand what you see. Reviewers who give it one star based on the lack of a guide who speaks their language do a disservice to their fellow countrymen.

We took the tour when we stayed at the hotel in the castle. It was really interesting. I would recommend it! Authentic castle, weapons, dungeon, etc. from many centuries ago! I'd also recommend you walk around the castle walls. There are some beautiful views.

Been there several times but never mind going back. This time we didn't even do the tour, just sat in the courtyard and pretended we were in "Game of Thrones". Really cool place so if you are driving the Romantic Road up to Rothenburg be sure to stop here.