A view along the outter wall of the main portion of Schmidtberg. The grounds to the left were actually part of the castle at one time, implying that there is the remains of a wall buried within the woods to the left.
Left, the base sections of walls that once housed a series of workshops. Some castles, if they were large enough, were virtually self-contained villages in which the local lord or commander attempted to make the facility as independent as possible. Schmidtberg was large enough to do this.
There were probably some living quarters in this area as well as it was common for workers to live as close to the their shops as possible. However, it is possible that some of the workers actually lived in small village nearby and walked daily to work.
Right, this is the walkway that goes around the keep to the keep's main entrance. The stairs appear to be authentic.
Below, a stone stairway leading to the main palas, or primay residential building of the castle. Note how the steps, now warn by years of weathering and foot traffic, are smooth but still show their distinctive shape.
Below, we now enter the main palas. The palas appears to have had three levels, two above ground and one below. The one below ground had a stone ceiling supported by heavy arches of Gothic architecture. But unlike many other castles, the second floor was also of stone. There were work areas surrounding the palas, such as the bakery and kitchen.
Below, a view within the palas from the lowest level. The indent at the corner of the structure that appears to be a window was probably a recess in the wall made to display a religious icon, or statue. A careful examination of the walls shows the marks of arch supports, indicating clearly that the floor for the second story was also of stone. This is a fairly unique feature, as most castles used a more economical, though less resilent, wooden floor. This indicates that Schmidtberg was an expensive castle to build and maintain.
Below, a view of the archways that supported the ground floor as seen from the lowest floor. The curved wall on the left was actually once a complete arched ceiling, creating a tube effect. Some castles still have these features intact.
Another view of the palas below. The support for the ground floor can be seen along the edge of the walls.
