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56-590: Frankenstein Castle (German: Burg Frankenstein ) is a hilltop castle in the Odenwald overlooking the city of Darmstadt in Germany. This castle may have been an inspiration for Mary Shelley when she wrote her 1818 Gothic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus . 49°47′35.84″N 8°40′5.58″E  /  49.7932889°N 8.6682167°E  / 49.7932889; 8.6682167 Frankenstein Castle

112-481: A German hilltop castle is the 13th-century Otzberg , which comprises a circular bergfried on a hill above the village of the same name . The bergfried is surrounded by concentric, oval-shaped, inner and outer wards and an external moat . The Cathars used a number of inaccessible hilltop castles as refuges, such as Château de Montségur which stands on the summit of a steep rocky mountain. Like other hill castles, hilltop castles lost their significance during

168-596: A bolt of lightning. (The use of lightning to bring Frankenstein's monster to life comes from the 1931 film and isn't in the novel.) There are local people who still claim today that this actually happened and that this tale was related to Shelley's stepmother by the Brothers Grimm , the German ethnologists . However, none of these claims have been proven to this date, and some local researchers doubt any connection between Mary Shelley and Frankenstein Castle. One of

224-469: A controversial theologian earned him both defenders and enemies throughout all of Europe. Emanuel Swedenborg was probably both his most notable supporter and, later, staunch critic: Swedenborg began as a disciple of Dippel, but eventually dismissed him as a "most vile devil ... who attempted wicked things." Swedenborg clarified that he was at first enamored by Dippel's emotionally charged writings and agreed with his attempts to dissolve traditional churches for

280-456: A fox near Niedernhausen). There is some evidence that even the name of the entire region is a hint to a mystical background: Odenwald means "The Woods of Odin ". Despite being a well-known tourist destination, Frankenstein castle has never been developed into a commercial tourist attraction on a large scale. Local people use the mountain chain on which Frankenstein Castle is located for sport activities like hiking and mountain biking . Normally

336-601: A hunting trip leading him from the Burgundian city of Worms into the Odenwald, was murdered by Hagen of Tronje at the Felsenmeer's Siegfriedsquelle ("Siegfried's wellspring"). In some stories, the region is connected to the apparition of legendary creatures, like knight George fighting against a man-eating lindworm near Frankenstein Castle or creatures of nature with magic potency (e.g. a water spirit that changed into

392-686: A key to nature. Between 1700 and 1702, he engaged in a bitter dispute with the Reformed Court Preacher Conrad Broeske in Offenbach, with whom he shared millenarian hopes for soon-coming renewal in Christendom. He accused Broeske of compromise and collusion with the authorities after Broeske refused to publish Dippel's "The Scourging Papacy of the Protestants" on the Offenbach press. Dippel's reputation as

448-525: A kind of delirium." Dippel led an adventurous life, often getting into trouble because of his disputed opinions and his problems with managing money. He was eventually imprisoned for heresy , where he served a seven-year sentence. He created an animal oil known as " Dippel's oil ", which was supposed to be the equivalent to the alchemists' dream of the " elixir of life ". At one point, Dippel attempted to purchase Castle Frankenstein in exchange for his elixir formula, which he claimed he had recently discovered;

504-487: A knight by the name of Lord George rode into town. The townsfolk were desperate; seeing a brave knight gave them hope, and they poured out their troubles and sorrows as he promised to help them. The next day, he put on his armor and rode up to the castle, into the garden and straight to the well where the dragon was taking a rest in the sun. Lord George got off his horse and attacked the dragon. The dragon fought for his life, puffed and spewed out fire and steam. Hours passed as

560-514: A lab near Wittgenstein (which was eventually converted into a pub named after him, Dippelshof ), and at this point in his life historical records are vague on his activities and thus grew folkloric in nature. During this time, at least one local minister apparently accused Dippel of grave-robbing , experimenting on cadavers , and keeping company with the Devil . For the most part, Dippel kept to himself and his work; he perhaps even actively perpetuated

616-645: A more personal faith and rejection of the Bible as the literal Word of God; however, he eventually criticized Dippel as "bound to no principles, but was in general opposed to all, whoever they may be, of whatever principle or faith ... becoming angry with any one for contradicting him." Swedenborg went so far as to suggest that Dippel was merely a cultish opportunist who used his theological charisma for his own financial gain and social influence, actively leading people away from traditional faith in order to "take away all their intelligence of truth and good, and leaving them in

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672-568: A pamphlet in which he claimed to have discovered an elixir that would keep him alive until the age of 135. Dippel's connection to the Castle Frankenstein gave rise to the theory that he was a model for Mary Shelley 's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus , although that idea remains controversial. This hypothesis was probably first suggested by Radu Florescu in his book In Search of Frankenstein (1975), which speculated that Shelley (then Mary Wollstonecraft) visited

728-637: A registry office for civil wedding ceremonies handled by the municipality of Mühltal . In 1978, American airmen from the 435th Transportation Squadron stationed at Rhein-Main Air Base started an annual Halloween festival at the castle, which became one of the biggest Halloween festivals in Europe. In 1977, the 440th Signal Battalion organized a 13 km running competition routed along steep forest trails from Cambrai-Fritsch Army Housing Site in Darmstadt to

784-457: A treasure was hidden near the castle. In 1763, chaotic scenes took place which even an intervention of a priest from the neighbouring village of Nieder-Beerbach could not stop. Even though no gold-filled vaults were ever found, fortune-hunters did not abandon the digging until one Johann Heinrich Drott was killed when his dig collapsed on him. He was given a suicide's burial. In 1770, 1787 and 1788, further attempts were made, but nothing of any value

840-617: A vampire trying to stop an immortal Dippel (who had once worked for Adolf Hitler ) from creating a Frankenstein-like army; G.M.S. Altman's novel Dippel's Oil features a kindhearted Dippel living in modern times, bemused at his influence on the Frankenstein myth; Larry Correia's novel Monster Hunter Vendetta makes reference to Dippel as the creator of an enigmatic character, 'Agent Franks'; Kenneth Oppel 's 2011 novel This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein includes several homages to Shelley's influences, including

896-429: Is 35 km (20 mi) from Frankfurt International Airport . The public transport system of Darmstadt serves tram stop "Frankenstein" (located at the foot of the mountain range, a steep 3 km walk from the ruins) with tram lines 1, 6, 7 and 8. Hilltop castle Nevertheless, hilltop castles presented their logistic difficulties. Without sufficiently strong pumps, water supply could be problematic if there

952-494: Is Grimm, Shelley, or the Castle Frankenstein, do not see any evidence for this. Scheele's claimed letter of Grimm is nowhere to be found. And no evidence can be found that Clairmont was considered the translator for Grimm's Fairy Tales . Several nonfiction books on the life of Mary Shelley also confirm Dippel as a possible influence. In particular, Miranda Seymour finds it curious that Mary speaks of "gods [making entirely] new men" in her journal so soon after her travels through

1008-518: Is advisable not to disturb ongoing ritual activities at any means. Legend has it that Mount Ilbes is the second most important meeting place for witches in Germany after Mount Brocken in the Harz . Close to Frankenstein Castle, a large felsenmeer ("sea of rocks") near the village of Lautertal is assumed to be a major scene of the Nibelungenlied . Allegedly, Siegfried the dragonslayer , on

1064-477: Is in southern Hesse , Germany, on the spurs of the Odenwald mountain range at an elevation of 370 m (1,210 ft) close to the southern outskirts of Darmstadt . It is one of many historic castles along the Hessian Bergstraße Route , also famous for its vineyards and its mild climate. Frankenstein is a German name consisting of two words: The Franks are a Germanic tribe and "stein"

1120-405: Is located about 16 kilometres (10 miles) from the castle. Several nonfiction books on the life of Mary Shelley claim Dippel as a possible influence. Dippel created an animal oil known as Dippel's Oil which was supposed to be equivalent to the "elixir of life". Dippel attempted to purchase Castle Frankenstein in exchange for his elixir formula, which he claimed he had recently discovered; the offer

1176-458: Is that in the first full-moon night after Walpurgis Night , old women from the nearby villages had to undergo tests of courage. The one who succeeded became rejuvenated to the age she had been on the night of her wedding. It is not known if this tradition is still practiced. In the 18th century, a gold rush caused some turmoil near Frankenstein Castle. It is believed that a legend and visions of fortunetellers caused local residents to believe that

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1232-576: Is the German word for "stone". In the past, the word "stein" also meant "rock". It refers to the rock the castle sits on. The big tribe of the Franks were ruling this region. The word "stein" is common in names of landscapes, places and castles in Germany. Consequently, the term "Frankenstein" is a rather ordinary name for a castle in this region. Before 1250, Lord Conrad II Reiz of Breuberg built Frankenstein Castle and thereafter named himself von und zu   Frankenstein . The first document proving

1288-597: The elixir of life and the means to exorcize demons through potions that he concocted from boiled animal bones and flesh. This is the same essay in which Dippel claimed to believe that souls could be transferred from one corpse to another by using a funnel . Some of Dippel's contemporaries, notably Johann Heinrich Jung , believed that toward the end of his life, Dippel lost his faith altogether after years of bitter disputes with other Christian leaders. Calling Christ "an indifferent being", Dippel shifted all of his energy exclusively on his alchemical experiments. He set up

1344-425: The soul of one cadaver into another. Soul-transference with cadavers was a common experiment among alchemists at the time and was a theory that Dippel supported in his writings, thus making it possible that Dippel pursued similar objectives, but there is no direct evidence to link him to these specific acts. There is also no evidence to the rumour that he was driven out of town when word of his activities reached

1400-737: The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, the family head Lord John I decided to sell the lordship to the Landgraves of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1662, after various lawsuits at the Imperial Chamber Court. The castle was used as a refuge and a hospital afterward, falling into ruins in the 18th century. The two towers that are so distinctive today are an historically inaccurate restoration carried out in the mid-19th century. On Halloween night in 1952, John Keel sent three American Forces Network reporters to Frankenstein Castle to explore

1456-591: The Shelleys' visit to Castle Frankenstein, where they hear the story of Conrad Dippel's determination to learn the secret of life in order to reanimated his beloved deceased wife. Johann Dippel is mentioned as the teacher of one of the characters in the episode "Lost and Found" of the TV series The Frankenstein Chronicles (2015). In season 2, Laurence Fox plays Dippel's son, who is involved in resurrections, but he

1512-481: The addendum Franckensteinensis and once at his university the addendum Franckensteina-Strataemontanus was used. He studied theology , philosophy and alchemy at the University of Giessen , obtaining a master's degree in theology in 1693. He published many theological works under the name Christianus Demócritus , and most of them are still preserved. Circa 1700, he turned to Hermetic studies and alchemy as

1568-502: The castle and discussed its legends and paranormal sightings. After discussing their personal experiences, the team used audio and video devices for their investigation. Sounds from the chapel and the entrance tower sounded like words and an ultrasonic recorder picked up signals in the chapel. A recorded sound was identified as a phrase in Old German that means "Arbo is here", which was interpreted as "Arbo" probably meaning "Arbogast",

1624-489: The castle during her travels on the Rhine with Percy Shelley , where they might have heard local stories about Dippel, which by then would have grown legendary and notorious. Florescu also notes that the Shelleys reference a brief interaction while touring the countryside around Castle Frankenstein with students of the University of Strasbourg , of which Dippel was once a student; these students could have told them stories about

1680-445: The castle for a live radio broadcast. The reporters were told that a local legend claimed Frankenstein's monster would return to the castle that night. Reporter Carl Nelson investigated the castle's crypt, where Keel had "set up a statue in the middle of the crypt – and rigged it to move and topple" as a prank, terrifying Nelson. Reportedly, frightened radio listeners bombarded the station with calls and military police were dispatched to

1736-474: The castle is open to the public until late at night, on-site parking is possible right at the castle and a restaurant serves food and refreshments. Admission and parking are free except during special occasions like the Halloween festival, when there is a charge for admission. However, there are no further tourist facilities on the site. Since the year 2000, the chapel at Frankenstein Castle has been in use as

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1792-484: The castle stands was probably occupied by another castle from the 11th century, which fell into ruins after Frankenstein Castle was built a short distance away to the northwest. Claims of an even older predecessor upon the hill are widespread, but historically unlikely. In 1292 the Frankensteins opened the castle to the counts of Katzenelnbogen (County of Katzenelnbogen) and formed an alliance with them. In 1363,

1848-608: The castle was split into two parts and owned by two different families of the lords and knights of Frankenstein. At the beginning of the 15th century, the castle was enlarged and modernized. The Frankenstein knights became, again, independent of the counts of Katzenelnbogen. The family were strong opponents of the Reformation , adhering to the Roman Catholic faith and the associated "right of patronage". Following, in addition, territorial conflicts and connected disputes with

1904-480: The castle, where he was later engaged as a professional alchemist . It is suggested that Dippel influenced Mary Shelley 's fantasy when she wrote her novel Frankenstein , though there is no mention of the castle in Shelley's journals from the time. However, it is known that in 1814, prior to writing the famous novel, Shelley took a journey on the river Rhine . She spent a few hours in the town of Gernsheim , which

1960-405: The castle. The Odenwald , the mountain range on which Frankenstein Castle is located, is a landscape with dark forests and narrow valleys shrouded in mystery and enshrined in legend. Many folktales and myths exist about Frankenstein Castle. None of them have been verified as fact, but all of them have influenced the culture and traditions of the region. In 1673, Johann Konrad Dippel was born in

2016-522: The castle. The Frankenstein Castle Run was held until 2008 when all American forces left Darmstadt. The city of Darmstadt organized a final race in October 2008. A restaurant with a sun terrace, located right below the castle towers, offers regular service as well as special events (e.g., Horror Dinner Nights ). The castle is easily accessible via Autobahn A5 , exit "Darmstadt-Eberstadt". The site

2072-508: The course of the Middle Ages . The rise of towns as economic and political centres reduced the value of such castles for trade and governance. Johann Konrad Dippel Johann Konrad Dippel , also spelled Johann Conrad Dippel (10 August 1673 – 25 April 1734), was a German Pietist theologian , physician , and alchemist . Dippel was born at Castle Frankenstein near Mühltal and Darmstadt , and therefore once at his school

2128-567: The destruction of a tower at the Castle Frankenstein. But this seems to be a modern myth, for it is an anachronism . Nitroglycerin hadn't been discovered in Dippel's time. And although the history of the castle during Dippel's lifetime is well documented, the destruction of a tower – though surely a remarkable event – is nowhere mentioned. Other rumours about Dippel appear to be modern inventions, too. For example, that which said he performed experiments with cadavers , in which he attempted to transfer

2184-585: The dragon was finally slain they wanted to give the knight a proper, honorable burial. They brought him to the Church of Nieder Beerbach, in the valley on the east side of the castle, and gave him a marvelous tomb. To this day, you can still visit and pay your respects to Lord George, the Knight who slew the Dragon in the 13th century. Hidden behind the herb garden of the castle, there is a fountain of youth . Legend

2240-530: The ears of the townspeople — though he was often banned from countries, notably Sweden , for his controversial theological positions. He also eventually had to flee to Giessen after killing a man in a duel. Dippel did, however, experiment quite frequently with dead animals, of which he was an "avid dissector". In his dissertation Maladies and Remedies of the Life of the Flesh , Dippel claims to have discovered both

2296-584: The existence of the castle in 1252 bears his name. He was the founder of the free imperial Barony of Frankenstein, which was subject only to the jurisdiction of the emperor , with possessions in Nieder-Beerbach, Darmstadt, Ockstadt, Wetterau and Hesse. Additionally the Frankensteins held other possession and sovereignty rights as burgraves in Zwingenberg (Auerbach (Bensheim)), in Darmstadt, Groß-Gerau, Frankfurt am Main and Bensheim. The hill on which

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2352-975: The historical Vlad the Impaler ). In addition to Florescu's speculative work, the Dippel/Frankenstein merging has appeared in several works of fiction: Robert Anton Wilson 's fantasy novel The Earth Will Shake features Dippel as a monster-making, globe-hopping magician who calls himself Frankenstein; the science fiction novel The Frankenstein Murders portrays Dippel as an assistant to Victor Frankenstein ; Topps ' three-part comic book miniseries The Frankenstein-Dracula War lists Dippel as one of Dr. Frankenstein's chief inspirations; Warren Ellis 's graphic novel Frankenstein's Womb hypothesizes that Shelley indeed visited Castle Frankenstein and heard of Dippel before writing her famous work; Christopher Farnsworth 's debut novel Blood Oath features

2408-435: The infamous alumnus. In addition, the Shelleys knew several members of the so-called "Kreis der Empfindsamen", a literary circle that met in Darmstadt from 1769 to 1773; Castle Frankenstein was frequently used as a location for their public readings, thus making it possible that Dippel's legends could have come up during conversations between those in the circle and the Shelleys. A local historian, Walter Scheele, believes that

2464-423: The legends told in the villages surrounding the castle were transmitted by Jacob Grimm to Mary Jane Clairmont, translator of Grimm's fairy tales and stepmother of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin . Scheele also claims that, in 1814, Mary, her stepsister Claire Clairmont , and Percy Bysshe Shelley are said to have visited Castle Frankenstein, on their way to Lake Geneva. Other historians, whether their field of research

2520-411: The most famous legends is about Lord George and a dragon, by August Nodnagel (1803–1853). It is said that long ago a dangerous dragon lived in the garden near the well at the castle of Burg Frankenstein. The peasants of a neighboring village (Nieder-Beerbach) lived in fear of the mighty dragon. It is said the dragon would creep in at night and eat the villagers and their children in their sleep. One day

2576-648: The name of a knight of the castle, announcing his presence and claim over the land. A second sound bite was interpreted to mean "come here". The team left Frankenstein Castle convinced that there is some sort of paranormal activity going on. In a remote part of the forest behind Frankenstein Castle on 417 meter high Mount Ilbes, compasses do not work properly due to magnetic stone formations of natural origin. Local nature enthusiasts and witchcraft practitioners are said to perform rituals at these magnetic places on special occasions like Walpurgis Night or summer solstice . The magnetic stones can be visited by everyone, but it

2632-645: The naming of Victor Frankenstein's twin brother Konrad, after the alchemist; Stan Major's novel Rimms of Khaos features Dippel as an immortal criminal mastermind, forced to make Frankensteinian monsters for a master vampire bent on world domination. Johann Dippel is mad-doctor Lord Hervey's hero in the Frankenstein Chronicles TV series, and Dippel's reanimated son becomes Hervey's partner in crime. Also more recently in Jeanette Winterson's 2019 novel Frankissstein , which dramatizes

2688-444: The offer was turned down. According to Stahl, Dippel and the pigment maker Diesbach used potassium carbonate contaminated with this oil in producing red dyes. To their surprise, they obtained a blue pigment "Berliner Blau", also called "Preussisch Blau" or " Prussian blue ". There are claims that during his stay at Castle Frankenstein, he practiced alchemy and anatomy . He was allegedly working with nitroglycerin , which led to

2744-459: The region surrounding Castle Frankenstein to take in more of its folklore—implying that she is already familiar with at least some of the local legends. For now, however, the connection remains a subject of an ongoing debate. Regardless of the historical validity of the connection, however, Dippel's status as Frankenstein's prototype seems assured in current popular culture (similar to Count Dracula 's equally controversial interchangeability with

2800-453: The regions surrounding Castle Frankenstein; if rumors indeed existed throughout the area that Dippel experimented on cadavers in an attempt to create life, Seymour argues, Mary's phrasing could be more than merely coincidental. In his book Frankenstein: The First 200 Years , Christopher Frayling refers to a passage in Mary's diaries later in her life in which she expresses a desire to return to

2856-491: The rumours that he had sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for secret knowledge , as relying on his reputation as a dark sorcerer better enabled him to find audiences with those willing to pay for his knowledge of the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life . He died at Castle Wittgenstein near Bad Laasphe , probably from a stroke , though some contemporaries suspected poisoning. A year before his death, he wrote

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2912-469: The surrounding region was therefore not always adequate. Hilltop and spur castles were introduced by the Franks in order to hinder the deployment of heavy siege machinery . Whilst spur castles had to be prepared to defend against such equipment on their one uphill side, hilltop castles were completely surrounded by steep slopes that effectively prevented the use of such machines. The classic example of

2968-434: The two continued to battle. Finally, just as the knight was about to drop from exhaustion, and just as the dragon was going to drop from exhaustion, the knight plunged his sword into the underbelly of the beast and was victorious. But as the dragon struggled in agony, it coiled its tail with the poisonous spine around the knight's belly and stung. Lord George and the dragon both fell. The villagers were so happy and relieved that

3024-535: Was found. It was then that local authorities banned further gold-digging. Frankenstein Castle gained international attention when the SyFy TV-Show Ghost Hunters International made a whole episode about the castle in 2008 (Episode 107) and claimed it would show "significant paranormal activity". The investigators met with a Frankenstein expert who guided Robb Demarest, Andy Andrews, Brian Harnois and their colleague through

3080-427: Was no well in the vicinity. The transport of food, working animals and other goods was also made more difficult by the location, and the adverse weather usually found on hilltops made living conditions in such a castle less comfortable. Another problem was the isolation of such castles. The withdrawal of armed foot soldiers into the castle was hampered by the terrain; all the more so for cavalry . Its control over

3136-417: Was turned down. There are also rumours that during his stay at Frankenstein Castle, Dippel practiced not only alchemy but also anatomy and may have performed experiments on dead bodies that he exhumed. There are rumours that he dug up bodies and performed medical experiments on them at the castle and that a local cleric would have warned his parish that Dippel had created a monster that was brought to life by

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