Mespelbrunn castle, or Schloss Mespelbrunn, is a fantastic place to visit in Germany. Small, quaint, and fun, you won’t want to miss this amazing sight.
Only a few kilometers off of the A3 between Frankfurt and Würzburg, sits Mespelbrunn castle. This castle is still privately owned, but open to the public for tours, weddings, or renting out a room in the tower. It’s small and cozy, but very peaceful and beautiful.
In this article, you will learn about:
- Mespelbrunn Castle
- The Mespelbrunn Castle Interior
- The Tower at Mespelbrunn Castle
- Mespelbrunn Castle Practical Info
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Mespelbrunn Castle or Schloss Mespelbrunn
We pulled into the parking lot early enough that there were only a few cars there already. We knew it would get crowded, though, because it was a gorgeous spring day in Germany and a Saturday to boot. We walked up the short hill and down the dirt driveway to the tiniest ticket booth. One lady and her dog sold us our tickets and told us the time of the next tour, ten minutes hence.
Like most castles, even ones that don’t still have the owners living there, the only way to see the inside is by guided tour. There was not an English option the day we were there, but we wanted to see the inside, so we just followed the tour around.
Mespelbrunn Castle Interior
The first room was next to the chapel and both were closed due to renovations, but the tour guide did point out the family tree in stained glass on the windows. The last male heir has died, but his daughter is still the owner of the castle.
Next we went upstairs to view the Knight’s Hall, a small sitting room, and a bedroom. It was all very museum-like with portraits of the family going back generations, as well as artifacts that the family has accumulated through the centuries.
Mespelbrunn Castle was awarded to the knight Hamann Echter for his service to the Archbishop of Mainz in 1412, and has been handed down from generation to generation for over 600 years. In the meantime, many distinguished guests visited Mespelbrunn.
Two that I remember were writers, Johann Wolfgang Goethe and the Brothers Grimm. Apparently while the Grimms were guests of the castle, they were inspired to write the the fairy tale of Rapunzel. (Although the castle purported to be the Rapunzel castle, called Castle Trendelberg, is located near the city of Kassel.)
The Mespelbrunn Castle Tower
The tower is a stand-out feature of this whimsical castle, with cast iron steps that wind up to a tiny door. You can see why it would be easy to imagine Rapunzel being help captive there, and if you would like to see if you would be inspired, you can also stay at the castle. In fact, the guest room is in the tower.
We enjoyed walking around the castle, photographing it from all sides as well as the few rooms we were able to see inside. At the very last, we walked down a path to the chapel on the hill, which even closed provided such a pretty picture.
Luckily there are a few restaurants near the castle and we had a wonderful lunch before getting back in the car and heading home.
Mespelbrunn Castle doesn’t take much time to see and it is such a great little stop along the autobahn in between some of the larger attractions and world heritage sites like the Residenz in Würzburg.
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Mespelbrunn Castle (Schloss Mespelbrunn) Practical Information
Driving is really your only option for getting to most of the smaller sites in Germany, and Mespelbrunn is no exception. Take the 63 Weibersbrunn exit off the A3 and follow signs to Hessenthal. From there just follow the signs to the Schloss. It is possible to use public transportation by taking the train to Aschaffenburg and then bus number 40 to the town of Mespelbrunn. Get off the bus at the “Abzw. Schloss – Mespelbrunn” bus stop and then walk to the castle.
Check the website for current opening times. When we visited the tickets were 5 euro for adults and 2 euro for children and students.
Conclusion
Mespelbrunn Castle, or Schloss Mespelbrunnin German, isn’t one of the bigger castles in Germany. However, it is a charming little place to explore if you want to get off the road and take a much-needed break from driving the autobahn.
Author Bio: Corinne Vail is a travel photographer, food lover, and a perpetual traveler who has been travel writing for over 14 years. For many years she lived overseas in Germany, Japan, Turkey, South Korea, and the Netherlands teaching the children of the US. military. She’s visited over 90 countries, and she’s not stopping anytime soon.
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CHLOE GOGO BUDGET TRAVEL
Friday 18th of November 2016
Indeed like a fairytale!! Love it.
Corinne Vail
Friday 18th of November 2016
Thanks Chloe!
Tami
Thursday 17th of November 2016
Loved this post! I love everything to do with castles and history...wish I'd known about it when I was in Germany. I probably drove right by it... :(
Corinne Vail
Thursday 17th of November 2016
Tami, You probably did. It's right off a major thoroughfare. I hope you get back and go visit.
Frank
Thursday 26th of May 2016
Very pretty place, I like how the castle opens up to the lake. Always love Germany! Frank (bbqboy)
Corinne Vail
Thursday 26th of May 2016
Frank, It really is a gorgeous country. The castle was really charming.
Katrina
Monday 23rd of May 2016
How AWESOME! Our stomping grounds in Germany are not too far from this area, and we'll be looking to do little daytrips when we are there in August/September.
Corinne Vail
Monday 23rd of May 2016
Katrina, This is an easy one day or even half day trip. It's short but sweet.
Brooke Neal
Saturday 21st of May 2016
Love the castle tour! This is one we missed--I am actually visiting Germany right now, but it will have to wait for next time. We so miss living in Germany.
Corinne Vail
Saturday 21st of May 2016
Brooke, It's so hard to leave a place already knowing that you have so much more to do when you come back, but at least it gives you something to really look forward to.