Highly disappointed after hiking there, the castle is under renovations , should have been posted, and museum was closed for a wedding, total waste of day, won’t be back.

Herzberg castle is situated on a fairly steep hill in the town of Herzberg am Harz. It was the ancestral home of the Guelph family and was originally built 900 years ago, though the present buildings date from 1528. There are two ways to reach this charming fourwinged renaissance castle. If you energetic take the shortcut via the shady, but steep path up to the top of the hill, if not just follow the road. Through the centuries the buildings have been used for various purposes; fortress, ducal residence, dowager-duchess retreat, hunting-lodge, administrative centre, law-court and museum. The museum contains a number of very interesting collections: The Guelph family collection. A rare facsimile of Henry the Lion's evangeliary; one of the most beautiful and valuable medieval German illuminated manuscripts. An exhibition about Herzberg's firearms industries. An exhibition about the history of mining and forestry in the Harz mountains. An Engelhardt organ (mid 19th century) in complete working order. Herzberg Esperanto museum. Other points of interest are the Knights' Hall and the Castle Restaurant. I did not visit the restaurant, because I was invited for afternoon tea in the Knights' Hall. As a guest I did not pay for admission to the castle. Information about admission charges etc is available: http://en.harzinfo.de/urlaubsorte/alle-urlaubsorte-im-harz/herzberg.htm