Frankenstein Castle – Mühltal, Germany

Frankenstein Castle is also known as Burg Frankenstein, is a castle located in Germany. It was built at altitude 370m of one of the peaks of the Odenwald mountain range south of the German city of Darmstadt ( Hesse land ), 35km from Frankfurt, and overlooking the Rhine Valley.

Castle Frankenstien

Castle Frankenstien is famous because of the Gothic novel Frankenstein or Modern Prometheus (1818) by Mary Shelley, an English writer. She is widely believed to be inspired by her visit in the early 1800s to the castle.

Although the castle of Frankenstein was first mentioned in chronicles around 1252, it was actually built by Lord Konrad II Reitz Von Breuberg before 1250 on land he had inherited as a dowry to his wife. He subsequently called himself von und Frankenstein. The existence of the German Frankenstein clan has been documented since then. The Frankensteins were a powerful and wealthy family in those days. Their possessions included Darmstadt, Hesse, as well as other German lands.

Frankensteins castle has been the object of many conflicts between its heirs and other contenders throughout its history. It was divided in 1363 and became the property of two families, Lords and Knights Frankenstein. The castle was often used as a fortress in those days. Knights of Frankenstein were protected by the solid defensive capabilities of the building. The fortress tower had a suspension bridge connected to the gate and massive fortress walls built in the early 15th Century. Fortress fortifications were strengthened after the invention of cannons with great destructive power. Frankenstein castle Germany was therefore expanded and modernized in the 15th Century.

After several territorial disputes and a series of lawsuits among the Frankensteins, the head of their family, Lord John I, decided to sell the Frankenstein home to the Landgraves in Hesse-Darmstadt in 1662. Although its new owners rented the castle, it was occasionally used as a refuge and hospital, as well as a military prison. The castle was finally demolished in the 18th Century.

Frankenstein's Castle

Frankenstein's Castle Germany — Archduke Hesse-Darmstadt Ludwig III restored the castle in the middle 19th Century. The restoration was done in an awkward and imprecise manner. Today, the two towers that were so distinctive of the castle's overall appearance are historically inaccurate.

Frankenstein Castle Halloween — Darmstadt Germany Frankenstein's castle has become a popular tourist attraction in the XXth Century. A restaurant was constructed there in the 1960s. However, it has been criticized for its poor architecture that isn't appropriate for the castle's overall appearance. burg frankenstein Halloween, castle hosts the annual Halloween celebration, which is the largest in Germany, every year since 1970.

Frist Image / Source

Image / Source

Burg Frankenstein

Legends and myths

Frankenstein castle Darmstadt Germany — Johann Konrad Dippel was born at the castle on 1673. Although he called himself "von Frankenstein", he did not have any connection with the castle's former owners. Dippel, a prominent scientist and alchemist, was also a doctor. He lectured in Germany, Holland. Denmark. Sweden. Russia. For this, he was persecuted everywhere by the Christian church. Dippel's main objective was to find the secret of eternal living. Dippel's oil was one of his scientific discoveries. It was made up of animal parts, including blood and bones. Dippel oil can still be used in medicine. He was known to have killed animals during his many studies on anatomy. He also conducted experiments on dead bodies which he then exhumed at a local cemetery. Some of his experiments included boiling human parts in a large pot to make an artificial body. Another experiment was to transfer a soul from one body into another using a funnel, grease, and a hose. Frankenstein's castle was offered to the scientist in return for the elixir, which he claimed he just discovered. However, the offer was rejected.

Scientists' deaths are shrouded with the same mystery that his lives. He disappeared once, but he was then found in his laboratory during a seizure. His body parts were scattered all over the place.

Many believe Dippel was the prototype of Victor Frankenstein Germany, who is the main character in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein (1818).