Frankenstein Castle

Is a hilltop castle located near Darmstadt in Mühltal. The castle is first mentioned in the records in the year 948, and initial construction of the castle ruins remaining today began in the 13th century. The 14th and 15th centuries saw expansion, followed by construction of reinforcements in the 16th. It was owned by the Barons von Frankenstein who owned most of the surrounding land until 1662, when the Baron of that time sold the property to the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt. There have been claims that the castle may have inspired the Mary Shelley novel, Frankenstein. While Shelley is known to have travelled through this area in 1814, historical scholars believe that she did not visit this castle. At any rate, the Dr. Frankenstein of the novel is an alumnus of Ingolstadt University, which had moved to Landshut (and has since moved to Munich) by the time the novel was published. There are special dinners for Halloween and for other occasions. It is also possible to hike up to the castle.

Source: Wikivoyage, „Horror fiction“ · authors per page history · CC BY-SA 4.0