Frankenstein Castle in Mühltal

Great view, restaurant unfortunately closed due to restoration, kiosk is open

Hardly anything to see as it is a ruin. The view is nice.

The only disappointment was that the restaurant and gift shop were closed due to renovations. Otherwise, the view is gorgeous!

The owner of our apartment told us that the castle might be closed due to restoration work. These were desperately needed after years of strain from the annual Frankenstein Festival. With around 50,000 visitors per year, the walls started to lean! Fortunately, they are now busy repairing and strengthening it, in the hope that another festival can be organized in about four or five years. In any case, we were happy that the castle was open today. I actually expected a lot more tourists, but that wasn't too bad. Let's keep it that way!

It was just a really cool Halloween show.

Good description of the castle ruins, friendly woman at the checkout

Currently being renovated. But it looks great!

I deducted one point because the restaurant and kiosk were closed that day.

There are still noticeable at least 4 circles of castle defense. Exposed walls 1.5 meters thick +. Ruins in Germany are as always well repaired, now in 8/2024 3 and 4 circles of defensive walls pass through the wall. For the fact that there is no ticket office, it is a nice, clean, undamaged place. Toilets cleaner than at home :-). Not here. Not many people in the evening. You can get here by car, and scooter, on foot, maybe even by car and a wheelchair user with strong arms or an escort can probably get here too. There are no stairs in the middle. There is no drinking water on the way to the castle, only at the top (maybe not in winter), so count on that in advance.

This castle was decent to travel to and check out. It was only 50 minutes away and was worth the short drive. The views were pretty cool and the sound of nature around the castle was nice. The castle is free so no need to purchase anything. Just stop by and give it a look

A wonderful place to relax - quiet, romantic, with hospitable hosts! 👌

The castle was too small for a long journey. But nice to look at.

This castle is the center of Frankenstein history. On the castle, you have a really good view on the horizon and you can even see Frankfort

Many paths lead up here, my favorite way is to go up the ladder to heaven. Upstairs is currently being renovated, but the nice kiosk is open and half of the sunny terrace.

You can have a look, old castle ruins with free entry and a small kiosk, parking

Frankenstein Castle is a very nice place to take a break or go for a nice hike. Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed when I was there, but I was still able to enjoy a gigantic view from the terrace.

As an old ruin could be interesting, but the trash all around made the visit sad.

Nice place, still missing to finish

Also worth seeing in winter, but currently 2025 construction sites on site. The restaurant is closed, but the kiosk is open.

Frankenstein, who wouldn't want to see that castle.

A ruin castle with a nice view right at the top of the tower. Everything else is normal looking. Nonetheless as it’s Frankenstein castle. You have to visit for bragging rights 😃

A fantastic view, a really great place. A terrace that is worth lingering on. Celebrating an event there, a wedding for example, is really ideal. Especially since the registry office is upstairs too.

Almost in complete disarray. Unimpressive, but still Kool, just because it's the actual place.

Stunning ruins. We arrived on a quiet Monday morning, and the whole mountain was coated in fog. The castle was quiet and empty, aside from us, and it was incredible to explore. We loved being able to walk up and look out from the different towers. There was some restoration in progress when we visited, so we weren't able to walk around everything, but I think it'll be incredible to visit when it's finished.

Great afternoon with full meal and ambience is spectacular 👌 Renisance festival is also very inspirational 👏 a wonderful experience several times over 😀

This castle is a lovely place to visit. You can park your car at the foot of the mountain and walk to the castle. At the top of the hill, you can have a good view of Frankfurt's skyline. By the way, there is a restaurant, but it is not open this season, and a shop where you can buy food, drink, and souvenirs.

Beautiful ruins of the inspiration for Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. The lore around this one is fun to look into. Build sometime before 1250! Lots to explore. Some things closed as under renovation, but still worth it!

An ancient castle with a wonderful panorama. There is free parking

Beautiful castle ruins. Good view and delicious cappuccino 👍

Interesting castle related to the book/movie Frankenstein. If not for the weather the view from the top could have been better. It must be beautiful on summer nights. There are a lot of trails nearby. Autumn leaves are beautiful!

Beautiful old castle, currently being restored. Mega view. There is also food.

Really cool ruins, with a great kiosk and delicious Rindswurst!

Had a great time during a previous trip around Halloween time!

Please rethink your food concept very quickly. Everyone is standing all over the place, people are being pushed forward, people are annoyed.

Beautiful castle, great as a day destination with children after a hike. A tower (the one on the wall) is accessible and you have a beautiful view towards Frankfurt and the Ried. A visit is worth it. There is a parking lot at the castle, and also a hiking parking lot at the foot of the mountain on the B426.

It's pretty spooky in the castle, OK for children, very nice staff, but there isn't a single seat on the entire site, so it's not good for those with walking problems or grandmas, it's a very long way from the shuttle bus to the castle, only card payment on the entire site, i.e. werkeinw has bad luck, eating and drinking etc. only with a card, cash-free zone. If you knew beforehand it would be helpful.

Frankenstein Castle is always worth a visit, especially by bike

The castle is certainly beautiful during the day. However, we enjoyed the spooky Halloween nights at Frankenstein Castle every year.

Always a very nice place. You can watch the sunset from here.

Interesting castle on the top of a hill. There are some legends around it which apparently gave the base for the Mary Shelley 's book.

Nice and quiet =peaceful 2924🇩🇪

Nice view. Wondering what it will look like after the renovation.

Very nice!!! It's worth going there.

The castle is closed for renovation - hikers and cyclists can enjoy nature in peace with self-catering

So much fun! We went on kid day during Halloween. Amazing time!

We read on Google that the castle is open and working and we went. When we arrived we found everything closed. We are very disappointed. There were many cars parked in the parking lot and many disappointed people. Why are you misleading people, write that you are not working.

Frankenstein Castle. So many legends and stories in one place. I recommend

Very suitable for a nice Sunday trip. There is a lot for children to discover around the castle. Otherwise there are various well-signposted hiking trails.

It's a very nice hiking trail, but come early as they close early.

Our friends live below the castle 😉

Die Burg Frankenstein steht auf einem 370 Meter hohen, felsigen Gipfel des nach ihr benannten Massivs. Erstmals erwähnt wurde sie im Jahre 1252 in einer Urkunde Konrads II. Reiz von Breuberg und seiner Ehefrau Elisabeth. Aus dieser Urkunde geht hervor, dass die Burg zu dieser Zeit bereits stand. Ihre genaue Entstehungszeit ist also unbekannt. Die meisten Historiker gehen aber von ca. 1240 aus. Die Frankensteiner stellten in der Folge die Herren mehrerer Orte in der Umgebung. Spätestens 1292 erklärten sie sich zu Burgmannen der Grafen von Katzenelnbogen. Im Zuge dessen räumten sie diesen unbeschränkten Zutritt zur Burg und Unterstützung im Kriegsfall ein. Zu einem solchen Fall kam es aber nie, die Burg ist nie belagert worden. 1402 wurde Frankenstein dann Reichslehen. Als sich bereits zuvor, im 14. Jahrhundert, das Frankensteiner Geschlecht in zwei Linien spaltete, wurde Frankenstein zur Ganerbenburg. Andauernde rechtliche Auseinandersetzungen zwischen den beiden Linien waren die Folge. Um 1400 wurde die zu klein gewordene Burg dann um eine große Vorburg erweitert und dabei modernisiert. Auch das 16. Jahrhundert war durch eine rege Bautätigkeit geprägt. Die Anlage erreichte damals ihre heutigen Ausmaße. Im Zuge von Konflikten der Frankensteiner mit den hessischen Landgrafen verkaufte man 1662 Burg und Territorium schließlich für 109.000 Gulden an Hessen-Darmstadt. Den Landgrafen aber war es weniger um die Burg als um den Territorialbesitz gegangen. Daher verfiel die Burg in den folgenden Jahren zusehends. Im 18. Jahrhundert sorgten Gerüchte von verborgenen Schätzen für erhebliche Zerstörungen. Und die Ehefrau des damaligen Burgverwalters machte schließlich alles zu Geld machte, was nicht niet- und nagelfest war. Zu allem Übel nutzen auch noch die Bauern der Nachbardörfer die Burg als billigen Steinbruch. Erst Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts ließ Großherzog Ludwig III. die Burg dann im Zuge der Burgenromantik wieder restaurieren. Dabei ging man jedoch sehr unhistorisch und rücksichtslos vor und zerstörte mehr als man aufbaute. Im 20. Jahrhundert schließlich wurde die Burg ein beliebtes Ausflugsziel. Das hatte zur Folge, dass man in den 1960ern ein grauenvolles Restaurantgebäude auf dem Gelände errichtete. Ihre Berühmtheit verdankt die Burg Frankenstein unter anderem der Geschichte, dass sie als Inspiration und Namensgeber für Mary Shelleys Buch "Frankenstein oder der moderne Prometheus" gedient habe. Eine Verbindung Shelleys mit der Burg wird allerdings angezweifelt. Die Burg (oder überhaupt eine Burg) wird im Roman nicht erwähnt, die Geschichte spielt (unter anderem) in Ingolstadt, und Viktor Frankenstein stammt aus der Schweiz. Da das Ehepaar Shelley auf einer Reise nach Genf aber durch das Rheintal kam, wird gern vermutet, dass die Schriftstellerin den Namen der Burg hörte und für ihr Buch übernahm.

Closed!!!!!! Nothing on the internet says it’s closed. Checked its website, the onsite restaurant’s website, and Google. A lady that seemed to work there informed us it was closed for renovations with no reopen date. We were able to walk around the entire outside of the castle on trails that circle the grounds. There were also lots of other trails but we had kids so we didn’t do too much hiking. There is also a cute herb garden by the restaurant we were able to walk through on our way around the outside of the castle.

Schade, aktuell kein Zugang, viele Wanderwege near by.

Road to castle is better than the building it self

Leider geschlossen für die nächste Jahre (!!) Wegen Renovierungsarbeiten.

Schöne Burg mit tollem Ausblick und mittelmäßigen Restaurant. Gutes Wanderziel mit guter Luft und vielen Waldwegen die auch sehr gut zum Mountainbike fahren geeignet sind.

The restaurant is now closed Dec 2023!!! Used to have great views of thw Valley.

Wir waren zu Halloween auf der Burg. Super toll gemacht. Aber auch ohne Halloween ein Besuch wert. Die Aussicht ist genial.

Sehr schöne Location und tolle Aussicht

Wir waren zu Halloween dort. Das vorerst letzte Mal in dieser Burg, da sie wohl saniert wird. Hoffe das diese Veranstaltung in naher Zukunft wieder dort ihren Platz finden wird. Hat tradition!!

Gut organisiert, sehr gutes Halloween Feeling

We drove for 2 hours to the castle. They did not mention that they were closed due to Halloween activities 10 days prior. Only when we and other tourists arrived at THE GATE were we informed.

Leider zu voll, wäre viel besser, wenn nicht so viele Menschen gleichzeitig eingelassen würden . Die Shows und Darsteller sind wirklich super und geben alles, aber man schiebt sich quasi Mensch an Mensch durch die Burgruine, das trübt das Gruseln erheblich.

This would've been a great day if they had actually been open like google had said. We drove 4 hrs just to see the castle closed sign.

Schade dass es nun rum ist..ich bin gespannt ob der neue Platz auch so schön wird ...

Halloween, sehr geil. Leider sehr voll also 2 Runde war schöner.. Ein Dank an die Katzen die soo schön gequitscht haben 😊. Bewirtung nunja also die Qualität der Wurst hätte schon besser sein können.

It was closed, not sure why, but after a 3 hour car ride, kind of disappointing.

Eine wirklich sehenswerte Ruine und jeserzeit eine Reise wert. Das Halloween Event auf der Burg war unglaublich gelungen und passte gut zu dieser Lokation.

Waren beim Halloweenevent 2023 und es war sehr schön.

Halloween Night: die letzte Veranstaltung dieser Art in der Burg Frankenstein, bevor sie in den nächsten Jahren renoviert wird.

Halloween - ganz gutes Setting.

Очень нравится это место но к сожалению приехали 04.11. , а замок был закрыт. Но в любом случае потрясающе выглядит

War beim Halloweenevent dabei. Ich muss sagen, ich hab mir das größer vorgestellt, und das man mehr "in der Burg" ist. Die Darsteller haben ihren Job sehr gut gemacht, aber leider wurde es schnell verdammt voll. Auch war das Essen (Bratwurst für 4€) meiner Meinung nach recht teuer. Der Busshuttle hat gut funktioniert.

Wir waren zu 🎃 dort . Unbeschreiblich schaurig spektakulär einfach super toll. Die Figuren( Monster, Mumien usw) sensationell umgesetzt. Man vergisst das unter den Kostümen normale Menschen stecken. Tinitus ist vorprogramiert.Ein Erlebnis das man nicht mehr vergisst. Leider das letzte mal dort. Weil die Burg saniert wird