.: Hennebergerland :.

We took a leisurely Sunday drive just over the border into Thüringen to visit two of the historic holdings of the ancient Henneberg line. The stately castle occupied the centre of the old town of Römhild, at the foot of the twin mountains, the Gleichberge.
The former royal residence, in late Gothic style, now housed several apartments and doctor’s practices as well as a museum in deference to the town’s reputation for distinctive hand-thrown pottery.
Next, we took some meandering country roads to see the impressive complex of Schloss Bertholdsburg, which once held between its towers, courtyard and four grand wings the whole surrounding town of Schleusingen as a villa for the Duke of Henneberg.

As the domain of the dukes waxed and waned and were realligned over the centuries, the town has since grown out of those original dimensions and now the castle hosts a quite large dinosaur museum and convention centre and after a fire took on its Renaissance style façade, but the castle still is a dominating feature of the old town district and boasts some impressive architectural features, including a Prunk Portal (fancy gate) and an expansive garden.