Kyffhäuser Denkmal
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Why go
- Climb 247 steps to the viewing dome for views towards the Harz, Goldene Aue and Thuringian Forest.
- See Barbarossa depicted awakening at the monument’s base, with knights, mythical creatures and members of his court.
- Explore the accessible 17-metre keep and its two exhibitions.
- See the preserved 176-metre castle well.
- Explore the museum’s display about plans for a national festival site, including a proposed stand for 400,000 visitors.
Plan your visit
Opening times
From the venue's website · checked 12 Oct 2026
Don't miss
- Barbarossa’s courtNikolaus Geiger carved the 6.5-metre sandstone figure on site, with knights, mythical creatures and court figures.At the monument’s base
- Wilhelm I and his attendantsThe 11-metre equestrian statue is flanked by Minerva with a lion skin and shield, and Mars with a helmet and sword.On the tower’s front
- Rock courtyardMassive rock formations make a cave-like courtyard in front of Barbarossa; a terraced quarry forms the sculpture’s east-side setting.In front of the Barbarossa figure
- Castle modelA scale model shows the former Reichsburg Kyffhausen at its full extent.In the Castle Museum
Know before you go
- The detective game is available only on site, with one research booklet per family. Rewards are not sent by post.
- Open daily, 09:30–18:00.
Tips for your visit
- Use the Castle Museum to explore the castle’s history, the Barbarossa Saga and the monument’s construction.
- Look for artefacts recovered during excavations and conservation work around the castle.
- Look for surviving parts of the old castle gates among the ruins.
With kids
- A 300-square-metre playground has a climbing wall, a castle playhouse, a slide and a wildcat sculpture.
- For school groups: a day program for seventh-grade pupils covers construction, planning, castle residents and builders.
- For school groups: a day program for grades 9 and 10 explores the monument’s myth, construction, and interior and exterior spaces.
- The bistro “Kaiser-Picknick” overlooks the playground.
Interesting facts5
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420 metres
The monument stands 420 metres above sea level.
Monument du Kyffhäuser - Wikipedia -
Builders used locally quarried red Kyffhäuser sandstone.
Kyffhäuserdenkmal - Wikipedia -
The walls and towers borrow Romanesque elements from Hohenstaufen castles of the 12th and 13th centuries.
Kyffhäuser Monument - Wikipedia -
Wilhelm I is shown as a general wearing a Pickelhaube and the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross.
Kyffhäuser Monument - Wikipedia -
The tower’s front cornice bears the inscription “Für Kaiser / und Reich”.
Kyffhäuserdenkmal - Wikipedia
Shorts
History
The rebuilt fortress became a residence of the Hohenstaufen imperial dynasty. Inspired by the Barbarossa myth, the later memorial was erected on a secondary summit of the massif. According to legend, Barbarossa sleeps in a cave in the Kyffhäuser and will awaken to restore the empire.
- c. 1000Construction began on Kyffhausen Castle, which later reached its greatest extent under Frederick I Barbarossa.
- 1118Lothair of Supplinburg captured the fortress during a conflict with Emperor Henry V. This is its first recorded mention.
- 13th centuryThe fortress declined in importance during the Grand Interregnum.
- early 19th centuryThe castle ruins became a symbol of German unity, especially for the Burschenschaft movement.
- 1890–1896The Deutscher Kriegerbund commissioned the monument to Kaiser Wilhelm I. Bruno Schmitz designed it, and it was inaugurated on 18 June 1896.
Show all
- 1935–1936The Castle Museum was built on the monument grounds.
- 1939–1945A Hindenburg monument below the site was unveiled in 1939, then toppled in 1945. It remains partly buried and fenced off.
- 1994–2014The monument underwent restoration costing €14 million.
How to get there
- CarThe monument is about 6.5 kilometres north of Bad Frankenhausen and southwest of Tilleda.
Sources: Kyffhäuser Monument - Wikipedia · Startseite - Kyffhäuser Denkmal · Museum und Ausstellung - Kyffhäuser Denkmal · Öffnungszeiten - Kyffhäuser Denkmal · Kyffhäuserdenkmal - Wikipedia · Monument du Kyffhäuser - Wikipedia · Für Kinder - Kyffhäuser Denkmal · Für Schüler - Kyffhäuser Denkmal · checked 10 Oct 2026
- Website
- kyffhaeuser-denkmal.de/
- Phone
- +49346512780
Questions and answers
Did Barbarossa stay at Kyffhäuser Denkmal?
No documented stays by Frederick I Barbarossa at Kyffhausen are known.
Who made the equestrian statue at Kyffhäuser Denkmal?
Sculptor Emil Hundrieser designed the statue in a neo-Baroque style.
Who visited the Kyffhausen ruins during the Romantic period?
Goethe and Duke Charles-Auguste of Saxe-Weimar visited the ruins.
Who manages Kyffhäuser Denkmal?
Kur & Tourismus GmbH Bad Frankenhausen has managed the site since 2014.
Is Kyffhäuser Denkmal part of a memorial network?
It has belonged to the Straße der Monumente network since 2008.
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