The best gravel rides around Sulzfelder Forst

Friesenhausen Castle was built as a moated castle in the 13th/14th century.

Welcome to Friesenhausen Castle The small village of Friesenhausen, part of the municipality of Aidhausen, is beautifully situated at the foot of the Haßberge hills. Along with the Protestant St. George's Church and the Catholic Church of the Assumption of Mary, Friesenhausen Castle is a defining feature of the village. The current building dates back to a Gothic castle surrounded by a moat. In the 16th century, a Renaissance palace was built over the castle courtyard and later converted into a Baroque palace. Further details can be found under the section on the castle's history. To commemorate the village's 1200th anniversary in 2016, a historical guide to Friesenhausen Castle will be published, containing a detailed history of the castle's construction as well as numerous illustrations. The property is privately owned and is generally not open to the public. Groups of 20 or more can request a guided tour by contacting us. Photography is not permitted inside the castle, and animals are not allowed on the premises. On Sunday, September 11, 2016, this year's Open Monument Day will take place. On this occasion, Friesenhausen Castle will open its gates from 12 pm to 5 pm (guided tours will be offered by family members; a small contribution towards expenses is requested). Coffee and cake will also be available. Larger groups can register for the event on this day by contacting us. http://www.schloss-friesenhausen.de/index.html

Architectural History of Friesenhausen Castle Around the year 1300, several local lords held sway in Friesenhausen simultaneously. A Gothic moated castle in a small lake existed from approximately 1300 to 1741 and was at times owned by the Truchseß von Wetzhausen family. Traces of this family can still be found in the Protestant Church of St. George. The Gothic lake castle, however, was demolished in 1741, and the lake was filled in with the rubble. The present Renaissance-Baroque castle in Friesenhausen also originates from a Gothic castle, which, however, did not stand in the adjacent lake but was surrounded by a moat. Around 1563, the married couple Schenk von Ostheim-Steinau von Steinrück built a Renaissance castle over the Gothic moated castle, incorporating the castle courtyard. The conversion to a Baroque castle and further construction work were carried out under the Würzburg Cathedral canon Johann Philipp Fuchs von Dornheim and the Lords von... Dalberg, who embellished the entire complex with numerous additions such as the gate and the equestrian statues. In 1940, Franz Karl Prince zu Salm-Salm acquired the castle, but resided there only temporarily. As early as 1938, it had served as quarters for women of the Reich Labor Service, later as accommodation for prisoners of war, a military hospital for wounded German soldiers, and finally as a transit camp for expellees from Silesia and the Sudetenland. Subsequently, Caritas Würzburg established a retirement home there, which remained in operation until March 1957. After this intensive use, the building stood empty for 16 years, which is why Prince Salm sold the urgently needed renovation of the castle to the von Eichborn family in March 1973. You can read the detailed, richly illustrated architectural history in our newly published 2016 art guide. http://www.schloss-friesenhausen.de/baugeschichte.html

Very nice long trail

A beautiful path leads all the way around Lower Franconia's largest lake. The lake is a great place for a break. You can grab a snack at the kiosk and, if the weather's nice, sit on the sandy beach.

A very beautiful, old and idyllic bridge over the Saale River. I love these types of bridges, so it's a lovely highlight.

A beautiful historic market square, well-preserved and restored half-timbered houses, a few cafes and ice cream parlors invite you to sit outside in the summer.

Nice rest area