Discover Breidenstein: Perfstausee and Castle Ensemble

Breidenstein combines Perfstausee on the edge of town with a rich local history and outdoor activities. This gives you several themes to choose from when planning your trip: relaxing by the lake, architectural history, cycling, and air sports. If you’re looking for hotels in Breidenstein, you can use these themes to decide what you’d like to focus on during your stay.

Perfstausee on the edge of town

Perfstausee lies right on the edge of Breidenstein and is a popular local recreation area. It offers a distinct focus for leisure activities alongside the historic buildings and local traditions. When planning activities by the lake, it’s also worth distinguishing between features described as long-standing and offerings tied to a specific year.

The castle ensemble and local architectural history

The Breidenstein castle ensemble comprises a castle ruin, a Baroque palace, and a late Historicist villa. The site is situated on a long, narrow spur of land surrounded by the Perf, on the edge of Breidenstein. Today’s Breidenstein Castle, also known as the Lower Castle, was built in the Baroque style by the von Breidenbach zu Breidenstein family between 1712 and 1714. The name Lower Castle therefore refers to the present-day palace within the ensemble, not to the castle ruin or the late Historicist villa.

The chapel in Breidenstein also has a clearly dated building history: construction began in 1592, and it was extended in 1792. At Komp, there are two cast-iron spouts with an integrated fountain. The area is landscaped with flowers and a bench and is a popular resting place for hikers. The bakehouse is still fired up and used for baking; the tradition is intended to be passed on to future generations. Here, dated architectural history sits alongside a local tradition that is still practiced.

Cycling, air sports, and leisure activities

The Rotary Hinterland Tour continues through deciduous forest to Perfstausee near Breidenstein. From the 535-meter-high summit of Endenberg, paragliders can fly into the Lahn Valley toward Wittgenstein. The Bad Laasphe Hang-Gliding and Paragliding Club operates paragliding and hang-gliding there; you can learn to paraglide at the Ederbergland Paragliding School. Cycling and air sports offer different kinds of activities. If you’re planning lessons or air sports, arrange specific dates directly with the club or school.

Leisure activities at Perfstausee were also described for 2024: at the time, disc golf was available there, and the frisbees needed were kept at the “Seeblick” restaurant. Also in 2024, a machine on the grounds had five stand-up paddleboards available to rent; there was also a tandem kayak. If you’re planning to play disc golf, go stand-up paddleboarding, or use the kayak, check before your trip whether the activity, rental, and required equipment are still available.

Biedenkopf: Landgrave’s Castle and the Hinterland Museum

In the wider destination of Biedenkopf, Landgrave’s Castle was built by Heinrich III of Hesse-Marburg in the mid-15th century. It is one of Hesse’s important cultural monuments. The Hinterland Museum in the castle was founded in 1908 as a regional museum. It presents the regional and cultural history of the Hinterland, including industrial, transport, agricultural, and craft history, as well as traditional costumes, domestic life, and everyday culture.

Discover more destinations: Katzenbach.

Back to the wider travel overview: Biedenkopf.