Station: [5] Michaels Gate

You are standing here at Michaels Gate, the entrance to the castle’s bastion complex.

Behind the Michaelstor is also the small castle cemetery. Several members of the royal family are buried there, including the last German Crown Prince Wilhelm and his wife, Crown Princess Cecilie.

To the left of the Michaels Gate, it’s worth taking a closer look over the castle wall. From here, you can once again get a sense of the overlapping ellipses of the approach.

But there is also something to discover right on the wall itself. There stand two larger-than-life stone figures. They are called the “Bastion Guardians.” They carry lances and shields and appear as if they are still standing guard to this day.

Their gaze is fixed on the Albtrauf across the way. This is not merely a beautiful touch in the presentation. With 19th-century weaponry, it would indeed have been possible to fire upon the castle from today’s Zellerhorn lookout point.

The Michaels Gate marks the entrance to the bastion. The small cemetery commemorates those who were buried here. And the stone guardians serve as a reminder that even an impressive castle always had to be defended.