My photos of Frankenstein castle, which is just south of Darmstadt, are sparse as I was trying to conserve my film. While it would be tempting to believe the castle is connected to the Mary Shelley novel, there is no evidence she ever visited or that she named her book after it. The castle is actually not much to see, at least when I went in 1978.
The oldest record of the castle dates from 1252. The castle was built by Konrad II of Breuberg, but through his marriage contract became known as Konrad I von Frankenstein. The Frankenstein family soon after quarreled over taxes and property rights. It was sold to the House of Hesse in 1662, who made it a retirement home for mercenaries. During the 1700s the castle began to decline with the outer walls being pilfered to provide stone for other construction projects. In the mid-1800s this process was stopped and the castle has slowly been restored to some degree. Today the chapel has been restored, and some host weddings there.
Frankenstein enjoys a unique distinction of having never been beseiged, a status few castles can claim.
Frankenstein has two primary towers and several other buildings of interest. Since 1978 it has had some restoration work done as well as some expansion. It does provide a nice view of the Bergstrasse and Odenwald area.
I plan to return to the area in the near future to do a "then and now" comparison of some of my photos.
