Pfalz

The Forchheim castle is a late medieval town fortress in Upper Franconia, built in the late 14th century as a residence and power seat of the Bishop of Bamberg. Its placement within the town walls — uncommon for an episcopal fortification of this period — reflects the close intertwining of ecclesiastical and secular authority in the region. Extensive archaeological and architectural surveys have made it one of the best-researched medieval castle complexes in Central Europe. Protected today as a listed Bavarian monument, it offers visitors a rare window into the architecture and power structures of the late medieval prince-bishopric of Bamberg.