Germany · Partial ruin
Sababurg
Sababurg is a hill castle standing on a basalt knoll in the Reinhardswald near Hofgeismar, first recorded in 1334. Reworked from a medieval fort into a late-medieval hunting lodge (palas completed 1519), it is characterised by a rectangular main range flanked by two large rounded corner towers with bulbous 'welsche Hauben'. The site survives as a partly-ruined complex that was restored and adapted for hotel and cultural use in the 20th century and is undergoing further renovation.
First raised
1334
Its prime
1519
Today
Partial ruin
As it stood in 1519
The shape it held in its prime.
Perched on a basalt knoll within the Reinhardswald, the Sababurg in its prime shows a compact light-beige stone complex: a rectangular palas with steep gabled roofs flanked by two massive round corner towers capped by bulbous welsche Hauben (onion domes), plus a smaller spiral staircase tower. A surrounding enceinte and flanking gate enclosed a small inner ward; coursed masonry unifies walls and towers. The roofs and domes were intact and the curtain walls continuous, set amid dense forest.
Its story
The story of Sababurg.
The Sababurg first appears in 1334 as the Zappenburg, founded by the Bishopric of Mainz — in constant competition here with the Landgraviate of Hesse, the Bishopric of Paderborn and the Duchy of Brunswick — to protect pilgrims travelling to the nearby pilgrimage site of Gottsbüren. In 1490 the hunting lodge of Zapfenburg grew out of the medieval castle, its palas completed in 1519 between two large rounded corner towers.
Its modern name comes from the Brothers Grimm: as the Dornröschenschloss, Sleeping Beauty's castle, it is one of the three best-known castles of the legendary Reinhardswald, alongside the Trendelburg and Krukenburg. Restored after 1957, the part-ruined complex has housed a hotel since 1959, with the Sababurg Wildlife Park and the virgin forest of Urwald Sababurg nearby — the concept for the board game Enchanted Forest was developed from the castle.
Step inside
9 places to explore in 1519.
The record describes 9 distinct spots at Sababurg — including 3 interiors: palas great hall, north-east corner tower chamber, small spiral staircase tower (interior). Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more rooms of the immersive experience.
Create History
Recreate Sababurg with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1519 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
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