Schloss Neidstein

Schloss Neidstein

Schloss Neidstein is a castle located in the Oberpfalz region of Bavaria, Germany, in the municipality of Etzelwang. It was the seat of a Hofmark (a lower legal entity) during the Palatinate-Sulzbach period (16th-18th centuries). The castle with its 165 hectares of forest and meadows^[1] is now part of the Schergenbuck reserve.^[2] It was owned by actor Nicolas Cage, whose mother is Bavarian, between July 2006 and early 2009.^[3]

Building

The ruins of the original Schloss Neidstein are located on top of the peak above the New Castle.^[4] The New Castle — an elongated tract with the east gate and a round tower in the west — was designed by Jobst Brand(t) and completed in 1513.^[5]

Today's appearance, especially that of the gables, is due to a renovation between 1855 to 1860. Several wall reliefs that show themes from the Old Testament were carved by Georg Schweiger (17th century) from Amberg.^{[citation needed]}

Library and Archives

The castle's extensive archives reach back to the 16th century, and have been available at the state archives in Amberg since early July 2006. A substantial part of the archives was supposedly used to accommodate horses of French troops passing through in 1796.^[6]

The whereabouts of the precious castle's library were not known until an article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (28 October 2006, p. 48) announced that a large amount of literature would be auctioned off in Munich in November 2006. Since some of these books were offered in online antique book shops soon thereafter, it is likely that the Neidstein library as a whole is lost.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ ~ EA7B795AFFF804633B7B4044DBD9F7FAE ATPL ~ ~ ~ Scontent.html eCommons FAZ of 21 July 2006^{[dead link]}
2. ^ Registration (registered 1973) (in German)
3. ^ Nicolas Cage Sells His Castle, People
4. ^ Burgen und Schlösser im Landkreis Amberg-Sulzbach — Detailseite (in German)
5. ^ Franz Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein: Castles in Bavaria. Munich, 3 Aufl 1984, p. 199 f. with fig 193 (top view)
6. ^ Brand 1964, p. 63

Coordinates: 49°32′03″N 11°36′17″E / 49.5341666667°N 11.6047222222°E / 49.5341666667; 11.6047222222