Medieval Castle Festival with Knight Tournament at Neuenburg Castle

Medieval Times at the Sister Castle of Wartburg

Neuenburg Castle was built in the early 11th century as the "sister castle of Wartburg" — Landgrave Ludwig the Jumper had it constructed to secure the Thuringian-Saxon border region. Today, it towers over the town of Freyburg an der Unstrut, in the Burgenland district of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, nestled in the Saale-Unstrut wine region. The Kulturstiftung Sachsen-Anhalt operates the castle as a museum with castle history, wine exhibition, and courtyards.

Three Days of Full Medieval Immersion

For the first May weekend of 2026, the castle becomes the scene of a major event: three full festival days instead of a one-day show. Knights will ride onto the tournament grounds at "Dicker Wilhelm" daily at 1:00 PM and 4:30 PM for jousting — on horseback, with lances, swords, or battle axes. Over 50 market stalls will be spread across the three historic castle courtyards: no beach tents, but handmade fabric and wooden stalls, traditional costumes instead of T-shirts, blacksmiths, potters, weavers, leatherworkers, felt makers.

Music, Spectacle, and Culinary Delights

Performing music groups in 2026: Fabula, Wolgemut, Forzarello, the Boulettentheater (puppet theatre), and the Feuerreiner (fire performers and acrobats). Bagpipes and shawms will waft through the courtyards, along with jugglers, magicians, and minstrels. For culinary offerings, it's classic fare: suckling pig on a spit, mead from drinking horns, bread from a stone oven, schnapps in clay jugs.

Saale-Unstrut Context

A visit to Neuenburg Castle places you in the heart of the Saale-Unstrut wine region — Germany's northernmost quality wine-growing area. Freyburg is home to the Rotkäppchen sparkling wine cellar; the nearby Naumburg is a UNESCO World Heritage site (Naumburg Cathedral). A perfect weekend destination combining medieval charm and wine enjoyment.