High Castle Füssen

The High Castle of the Prince-Bishops of Augsburg stands on a hill above Füssen's old town and is regarded as one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Bavaria. Stand in the courtyard and you notice what makes it special: many of the oriels, window frames and gables on the walls are only painted. While crowds queue at Neuschwanstein, here, just a few kilometres away, you find a genuine late-Gothic castle with two art galleries.

History: a bishop's castle on the Lech

In late Roman times the hill carried the fort of Foetibus, and a station on the Via Claudia lay within today's town. In the Middle Ages the Bishops of Augsburg and the Dukes of Bavaria fought over the area. In 1322 the Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg acquired the hill and made the castle the seat of its local administration. From 1486 Prince-Bishop Friedrich II von Zollern had it extensively rebuilt, and that work still defines it.

In 1798/99 the castle served as an Austrian military hospital, then French troops occupied it. Crown Prince Maximilian of Bavaria considered it as a summer residence but chose nearby Hohenschwangau in 1832. Since 1931 a branch of the Bavarian State Painting Collections has shown art in the north wing.

What to see

• Illusionistic painting: around 1499 the courtyard facades and gate tower were decorated with painted oriels, coats of arms and window surrounds. The painter is thought to be Fidelis Eichele; what you see today is heavily restored.
• Knights' Hall: on the second floor, with a painted late-Gothic carved ceiling attributed to Jörg Lederer.
• State Gallery: six rooms of late-Gothic Swabian painting, plus Allgäu sculpture in the Knights' Hall.
• Municipal Gallery: in the former prince-bishops' apartments, with 19th-century Munich School works.
• Wall-walk and gate tower: views over the old-town roofs and the Lech landscape.
• Neck ditch: the moat cut into the rock on the west side, called "the gorge", separates the castle from today's Baumgarten park.

Opening hours and prices (as of October 2026)

• Summer, until end of October 2026: Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–17:00.
• Winter, early November 2026 to end of March 2027: Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–12:30.
• Closed: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
• Admission: €6. Tickets at the castle desk or at the Füssen Town Museum.
• Guided tour: April to October every Saturday at 14:00, included in admission.

Tripto tips

Allow 1 to 2 hours for the castle, galleries and wall-walk. Just below lies the former abbey of St. Mang with the Füssen Town Museum, which tells the story of lute and violin making. In winter the castle only opens in the morning, so go early. If you visit Neuschwanstein the same day, the High Castle makes a quiet late-afternoon addition, as long as you arrive before 17:00.