The castle (Kaiserburg) was built on a rock around 1050 by Henry the Third. Gradually the castle became a fiefdom, passed down through inheritance. In 1138-1140 it was completed by Emperor Conrad, and became an imperial castle. In 1050-1571 all emperors of Germany visited the castle. Most of the sessions of the Sejm took place here.
The castle can be reached through the Festner Gate from the north or the Himmelspforte Gate from the city side. At the entrance you can immediately see the courtyard and palace, then the imperial chapel in Romanesque style in two floors: the first floor for the emperor and courtiers, and the first floor for the servants. Nearby is a well about 50 metres deep, dug in the 12th century.
From the imperial palace a passage leads to the oldest part of the castle, the Burggraves' castle. The Hohenzollerns obtained Burggrafenburg in the twelfth century. It was the cause of much strife between the city and the Burggraves. After a fire in 1480, it was sold by Frederick IV Hohenzollern to the city of Nuremberg. What remains of the castle are the Walburgis Chapel, the pentagonal Fünfekiger tower and the Lügisland watchtower, built in 1377.
