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The ancient ancestral home of the Baron of Egloffstein is located on a steep cliff high above Egloffstein village. Egloffstein castle probably was built in the second half of the 12th century by a man called Agilolf (Hegelof, 1179). But no reliable sources had come down. The castle is first proved by documents in the year 1358. It was Albrecht II of Egloffstein who founded a castle chapel together with his brothers.
In 1374 the oldest of the four lines broke with their cousin Goetz because of impending military conflicts with the bishop. Nevertheless Seibot II had to open a part of the castle to the bishop of Bamberg only two years later. The bishop now was authorized to station troops in Egloffstein castle by an impending event of war.
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In 1389 the noblemen of Baernfels was defeated by the landgraves of Leuchtenberg. In the first Margraves’ War (1449/50) troops from Nuernberg burnt down Egloffstein, but they could not capture the castle.
In the year 1563 the reconstructed castle was occupied during a quarrel between the noblemen of Egloffstein and the bishop by lansquenets from Bamberg. During Thirty Years’ War Egloffstein village and Egloffstein castle were burnt down twice (1632 and 1645). A drawing from 1669 shows the castle with a high wall on the west side and a big tower in the south-west corner armed with cannons and big guns to protect the castle. That tower was built during the regency of Albrecht Christoph of Egloffstein in 1664.
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Markt-Egloffstein
