Burg Rabenstein (Germany)

Rabenstein Castle is a former high medieval aristocratic castle in the municipality of Ahorntal in the Upper Franconian district of Bayreuth in Bavaria.

The spur castle can be visited for an entrance fee.

The oldest parts of the castle were built in the first quarter of the 12th century in the Waischenfeld rule. At the same time, the ministerial family Rabenstein, who are considered to be the builders of the castle and have the raven in their coat of arms, are documented in the service of the nobles von Waischenfeld. At the beginning of the 13th century the outer bailey was expanded. Over the next centuries, the castle's owners and residents changed, including the von Schlüsselberg family and the burgraves of Nuremberg. In 1450 the castle was destroyed in the First Margrave War and rebuilt by Konz von Wirsberg from 1489 onwards.

In 1557 the castle went to the "von Rabenstein", who were aspiring to the aristocratic family, and thus bought back their ancestral seat. Daniel von Rabenstein rebuilt the castle again in 1570, whereby the former outer bailey was merged with the main castle.

During the Thirty Years' War the castle was again completely destroyed by imperial troops, as the lord of the castle, Hans Christoph von Rabenstein, was on the side of the Swedes. After the war, between 1648 and 1728, only smaller buildings were restored next to the farm yard.

In 1742, the von Rabenstein family died out and the castle went to the Counts of Schönborn-Wiesentheid, who redesigned the castle ruins in 1829/30 for a visit from Ludwig I.