In southern Germany, right on the border with Austria, stands one of the world’s most remarkable castles.
It’s an easy day trip from Munich and is certified in the Guiness Book of World Records.
Get ready to get your steps in as we explore Burghausen Castle – the world’s longest castle!
Table of Contents
Getting there
Getting to the town of Burghausen from Munich via public transportation is relatively easy – just be sure to double check which train station your train leaves from.
Originally I went to the Hauptbahnhof – or Munich Central Station – the city’s largest and busiest station. But when I couldn’t find my train, I went to the information desk, where they told me that the train I was seeking left from Munich East. Now I know to pay closer attention when planning my journey!
(For what it’s worth, trains to Burghausen leave from both the Hauptbhanhof and Munich Ost, just not at the time that I was there.)
The journey between Munich and Burghausen, including a transfer at Mühldorf, lasts approximately two hours.
Once in Burghausen, I needed to make my way to the castle. I had three options – taxi, bus, or walk.
The bus depot is right by the train station, but upon arrival, I didn’t find the bus that would take me there. Having looked online that it’s a 30-minute walk from the train station to the castle, I decided to save myself the taxi fare and make my way on foot. (Despite reading that the bus departed regularly and I was walking along its route, I never did see it.)
Thankfully, there are lots of signs along the way pointing out the direction of the castle.
The walk is essentially from one end of the town to the other, following a relatively straight path along a main road. Unlike trying to get to other castles in Germany, I never had to go through any fields or forested areas.
Since the castle is located on a ridge, the tail end of the walk involved going uphill, but the climb was gradual and easy to manage.
At the castle
No grand sign let me know I had finally arrived. My only clues that I had made it were seeing one of the markers that are often found outside of castles administered by the Bavarian state (they contain the name of the castle, a map and a bit of information) and a small parking lot located next to what looked to me like a church.
Turn out it wasn’t a church – and apparently never had been. This was the old customs house that now serves as the castle’s information center.
I stepped inside. I was greeted in German, but the conversation quickly changed to English. The lovely woman manning the desk spoke in a perfect American accent. She told me that had spent part of her childhood in the U.S., so her accent remained while her grammar was distinctly German. Still, communication was easy and she encouraged me to visit some of the places to see in the countryside around Burghausen (which unfortunately, due to having no car, I was not able to do).
Map in hand, it was time to head to the main castle. This being the world’s longest castle, however, I would not get there quickly. Instead, I would need to make my way through not one, not two, but five courtyards before reaching my goal.
What is the official length of the world’s longest castle? 1051m or 3448ft.
Yup, that’s one long castle.
The courtyards
Practical tip before I continue – the courtyards and the castle grounds are free to enter!
The journey to the main castle starts in the fifth courtyard. Once heavily guarded, the defenses were torn down by Napoleon during his campaigns to conquer Europe.
Today, the courtyard is open for anyone to walk through. One of the most important buildings is the old tax clerk’s office, which now houses the House of Photography. The highlight in this courtyard, for me, was the well with its attractive paintings.
As I walked through the courtyards, I wasn’t surprised to find many buildings that are not open to the public. But what was surprising to me was the reason; several buildings are actually apartments where people live! Living in a real-life castle? That would be my dream.
The fourth courtyard was my favorite. It was the largest courtyard and had beautiful, wide-open green spaces that would be perfect for a picnic in the warmer months. There’s a small Gothic church built by George the Rich, Duke of Bavaria-Landshut, and named after his wife Hedwig, a Polish princess. (More about them later.)
Also in the fourth courtyard is a small tower that serves as a vantage point with a view of the town, the neighboring country of Austria, and the Salzach River. Salz is the German word for “salt,” salt being the main commodity of the area and which was transported along this river until the 19th century; the castle was originally built to protect the trade route.
The third and second courtyards are less interesting, though still attractive. The best things to see here are the “pepper pots,” small stone structures with coned roofs that once served as guard and lookout towers.
I soon found myself staring down a bridge, at the end of which was the mighty George’s Gate. With its solid and imposing frame, the gate was meant to defend the main part of the castle. Dating to 1494 and located on the narrowest point of the ridge on which the castle is built, the gate was commissioned by George the Rich, who was responsible for many improvements of the castle and its defenses.
On the right side of the gate are two coats of arms – immediately I recognize the blue and white fusil of Bavaria (or, more precisely for the era, the House of Wittelsbach) and the white eagle of Poland. These are the coats of arms of George the Rich and Hedwig of Poland, whose wedding is commemorated in an elaborate spectacle every four years at Landshut, where they married in 1475.
After crossing the bridge, going through the gate, then crossing the first courtyard and another bridge, I was finally at the main part of the castle itself.
The main castle
There’s evidence of human settlement on the place where Burghausen Castle now stands dating back to the Bronze Age. Thought there have been a castle here as early as the 8th century, the first documented mention of a castle comes in 1025 from a letter from Saint Cunigunde of Luxembourg.
The castle was the seat of the Counts of Burghausen before briefly being taken over by the powerful duke Henry the Lion. It then passed into the ownership of the House of Wittelsbach, who ruled Bavaria for some 700 years. Today the castle belongs to the Bavarian state.
As I entered the main part of the castle, I stepped into a courtyard surrounded by buildings made of tuff stones.
Two museums are located in this part of the castle: the Castle Museum with State Gallery and the Town Museum.
I decided to head to the Castle Museum first. Making my way up the stairs, the staff member asked for a ticket. Apparently I had forgotten to buy it at the information center!
The staff member directed me to the place where I could purchase the ticket. Mishearing his German, I thought I would have to walk 20 minutes back to the first information center. Thankfully, I had misunderstood “minuten” and “metre.” The staff member corrected my misunderstanding and, relieved, I walked to a second information center located just a few feet away within the main castle itself.
I purchased the combined ticket, which allows entry into the castle’s three museums. (The third museum is the House of Photography located in the 1st courtyard.)
Ticket in hand, I returned to the Castle Museum. After a slightly comedic conversation (the comedy stemming from the language barrier and my fumbling attempts at speaking German), I entered the museum.
The Castle Museum is located in former ducal palace. This was once the residence of the Dukes of Lower Bavaria and later, the Dukes of Bavaria-Landshut. Geroge the Rich was born here in 1455. His wife Hedwig spent much of her time at Burghausen Castle during their unhappy marriage; she died here in 1502. After George’s death a year later, the castle ceased to be used by the ducal family.
The Castle Museum is divided into three floors: the first floor displays state furniture from the castle’s heyday in the 14th and 15th centuries; the second floor is the gallery, with German paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries; the third floor contains tapestries.
I slowly made my way through each floor to admire the items on display. No one was there to bother me; I practically had the entire museum to myself. I almost felt bad for the security guards, who looked rather bored.
The second museum in the main part of the castle is Town Museum. Refurbished in 2012, it’s the more modern and interactive of the two museums, and the one I preferred.
Like the Castle Museum, the Town Museum is divided into three sections all on different floors. They depict life in the castle during the 15th century, art from the town of Burghausen, and the history of the town itself.
The interactivity of the Town Museum is what I enjoyed. I learned by weaving my way through display cases, reading the informational plaques, and listening to audio recordings. (Ok, so I didn’t learn much from the audio recordings since it required knowledge of German far beyond what I possess.)
While I enjoyed both museums, the real highlight is the castle itself. If you’re on a budget and looking to save a few euros, a visit only to the castle grounds wouldn’t feel any less complete.
The town and a visit to another country
My visit to the castle concluded, I had one ambition left: to try and see the whole castle in a single view. For this, I would have to head to an entirely different country.
The tiny town of Ach an der Salzach in Austria is a mere bridge length away. To get there, I had to pass through Burghausen’s old town.
Back in the castle’s first courtyard, I found an archway that led to a path that runs down the side of the ridge. (If you’re curious and looking it up on a map, the path is called Burgsteig.)
Walking downhill, I experienced why the castle was popular with the dukes; the ridge provided excellent natural protection. Going downhill was fine, but when I retraced my steps later, I was surprised at how steep the climb was. I was out of breath by the time I reached the top; I couldn’t imagine trying to climb up in a full suit of armor!
The path dropped me off in the center of Burghausen’s old town, located below the castle. With origins dating to the 8th century, the town prospered during the Middle Ages. It suffered decline after the Landshut War of Succession, which saw the Duchy of Bavaria-Landshut split between two other duchies. Wars ravaged the town in the centuries thereafter, but its unimportance preserved it from destruction in the Second World War.
My quest took me past the medieval church of St. Jakob and the main square with its colorful buildings and, to my surprise, palm trees.
Crossing the bridge, which has no barrier between pedestrians and cars, was easy. Once in Austria, I turned around and took several photos of the castle. Still, I wasn’t able to see the entire castle at once.
I knew there was a vantage point somewhere that has the view I was looking for. But between the lack of signage pointing me in the direction of my destination, no internet connection that would allow me to map my destination, and having to return to Munich, I decided to forgo my search and head back.
But that just gives me more reason to one day return to the world’s longest castle.
Interested in other day trips from Munich? Check out this article!
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