Veste Coburg

Coburg Fortress
Veste Coburg
Aerial view of the Veste from the west
Location of Veste Coburg in Germany
General information
Type	Fortress, hill castle
Architectural style	Romanesque to Gothic revival
Town or city	Coburg
Country	Germany
Coordinates	50°16′N 10°59′E / 50.26°N 10.98°E / 50.26; 10.98Coordinates: 50°16′N 10°59′E / 50.26°N 10.98°E / 50.26; 10.98
Elevation	464 m above NHN
Current tenants	Kunstsammlungen der Veste Coburg
Construction started	10th century (first fortifications)
Renovated	1838-60, 1906-24
Owner	Bayerische Verwaltung der staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen
Design and construction
Architect	Bodo Ebhardt (early 20th-century renovation)
Website
Veste Coburg

The Veste Coburg, or Coburg Fortress, is one of Germany's largest castles. It is situated on a hill above the town of Coburg, in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria. By area, it is one of the largest castles in Germany.

The Veste Coburg dominates the town of Coburg on Bavaria's border with Thuringia. It is located at an altitude of 464 meters above NHN, or 167 meters above the town. Its size (around 135 meters by 260 meters) makes it one of the largest castles in Germany.

The hill on which the fortress stands was inhabited from the Neolithic to the early Middle Ages according to the results of excavations. The first documentary mention of Coburg occurs in 1056, in a gift by Richeza of Lotharingia. Richeza gave her properties to Anno II, Archbishop of Cologne, to allow the creation of Saalfeld Abbey in 1071. In 1075, a chapel dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul is mentioned on the fortified Coberg. This document also refers to a Vogt named Gerhart, implying that the local possessions of the Saalfeld Benedictines were administered from the hill.

A document signed by Pope Honorius II in 1206 refers to a mons coburg, a hill settlement. In the 13th century, the hill overlooked the town of Trufalistat (Coburg's predecessor) and the important trade route from Nuremberg via Erfurt to Leipzig. A document dated from 1225 uses the term sloss (palace) for the first time. At the time, the town was controlled by the Dukes of Merania (or Meran). They were followed in 1248 by the Counts of Henneberg who ruled Coburg until 1353, save for a period from 1292-1312, when the House of Ascania (Askanien) was in charge.