Stargard Castle

Burg Stargard, Germany, Germany

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Stargard Castle in Burg Stargard, Germany, is Germany's northernmost preserved hilltop castle and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's oldest secular brick building, constructed between 1236 and 1258 by Brandenburg margraves Johann I and Otto III to safeguard their northern frontier.

Featuring an oval inner bailey, outer bailey with eleven structures, a 38-meter keep with northern Germany's deepest dungeon, a chapel from a remodeled 1240s gatehouse, and protective moats, it became Duke John I of Mecklenburg-Stargard's residence from 1352 until his line's extinction in 1471.

Expanded in 1520 under Albert VII and used during the Thirty Years' War, the restored fortress now houses a museum on regional history, offers keep tower climbs, and serves as a free public park.