Hohenzollern Castle

One of the most beautiful castles in the world, the residence of the House of Hohenzollern. You may have already seen photos of it online - a majestic castle perched atop a mountain, often surrounded by a sea of clouds. These photos were taken from the stunning Zellerhorn Gipfel observation deck. It’s probably just as good as the famous observation deck near Neuschwanstein Castle.

It is located here at 48.312528, 8.980028, and you can walk there from the Berghotel Zollersteighof (booking.com). There is free parking near the hotel at 48.303306, 8.981528.

We were staying at a hotel, so we visited the observation deck both in the evening and in the morning. The trail is 1,500 meters long. Our main goal was to capture the castle at dawn, shrouded in fog. This time, the fog didn’t rise high enough to reach the castle, but we still got some great photos. So we highly recommend it.

You can visit the observation deck at any time, but the best time is in the morning, after sunrise. I went back there once more, and there were clouds again; it seems that’s just typical for autumn in this area.

 

 

We visited the castle itself in the evening, and it seemed like the perfect time. The main parking lot is located at 48.325444, 8.963389, and the ticket office is right there. You can walk from the parking lot to the castle or take the shuttle, which is what we did. But that’s not all - you have to climb again from the castle entrance to the inner courtyard. They’ve already built an elevator just around the corner, but we didn’t see it. Ideally, you can take the elevator up and walk down.


The history of this place dates back to the 11th century, when the first fortified castle, belonging to the Hohenzollern family, was built here. However, this early fortress was destroyed in the 15th century during military conflicts. A second castle was built in its place, which stood for several centuries but eventually fell into disrepair and lost its strategic importance.

The castle’s current appearance is the result of a large-scale 19th-century renovation. It was rebuilt at the initiative of Prussian King Frederick William IV, who sought to restore the dynasty’s ancestral residence. Construction lasted from 1850 to 1867, and the castle was built in the Neo-Gothic style, which emphasizes a romanticized vision of the Middle Ages.

Today, the castle is neither a ruin nor a museum in the traditional sense, but rather a well-preserved historical complex. Some of the rooms are open to visitors as part of guided tours. Inside, you can see interiors, household items, and artifacts related to Prussian history, including items that belonged to Frederick the Great.

Since we arrived at the castle in the evening, an hour before closing time, the last visitors were already leaving, and we were practically alone there: both on the grounds and inside the castle itself.