Features
As a Renaissance Castle, Uhuburg has twelve towers, one turret, three gatehouses, an eight story lookout tower, Great Hall, cloistered walls with rampart and lower walkways, ten guest chambers, two apartments, a master chamber, tropical atrium, grotto, and two acres of courtyard gardens. Situated on a mountain knoll, the Castle has spectacular views from each of the walls and towers.
What's in the Name Uhuburg?
Uhuburg is named for the mascot of philosophy & wisdom:
the owl
Specifically, Uhuburg is named for the largest owl in the world, the Eurasian Owl. In German, this owl is named Uhu, and uhu translates to Eagle Owl in English. Burg is the German word for castle. Thus, the English translation of the German term Uhuburg is Eagle Owl Castle.
Eurasian Eagle Owl
bubo bubo
Uhuburg: Eagle Owl Castle
uhu - eagle owl ᆞ burg - castle
Proununciation: ooo-hoo-berg
An Owl Aviary for our mascot and other raptors will provide a dynamic educational opportunity to understand the unique characteristics of owls.
Planned for 2025
Construction
Milestones
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2008 - Land is cleared
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2009 - Cornerstone laid in the East Gatehouse slab
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2012 - North & East Gatehouses enclosed
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2014 - Main structure of perimeter castle wall and South Gatehouse are completed
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2015 - Power lines are laid and Main House begins
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2016 - Castle walls are finished, Main House is built through second floor
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2017 - Great Hall roof is framed in, Main House third floor completed, septic tank installed
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2018 - Main House roof features & attic are done & 7th floor spiral staircase is set in the Tower
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2019 - Roof set for Main House, gardens roughed in, greenhouse set, murals begin, cisterns buried
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2020 - Pools and fountains set
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2022 - Finish & furnish interiors, pave driveway, continue murals and garden landscaping & development
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2022 - Summer - Uhuburg Institute Limited Board of Directors established
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2022 - Final State and County Inspections
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Fall/Winter 2022 - Begin Pre-Opening Insider Tours, Overnight Bookings and Special Events
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2023 - Grand Opening Year! - May - Opened to the public for weekend Day Visits and photoshoot bookings
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2023 - Fall - Hosted first private events: two weddings and a quinceañera
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2024 - January - Hosted first festival: CastleFaire
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Future Projects - Dates tbd - Owl Aviary, Archery Field, Welcome Gatehouse at lower level parking
2017 Main House & North Gate House
2018 Main House & North Gate House
2017 Main House & North Gate House
Uhuburg construction began in 2008 and the "two year" project continued over the following 14 years. Situated on 45 acres at the top of a wooded mountain, the first year was dedicated to cutting a road to the top and building retaining walls along the way.
The 2 story perimeter wall was constructed over the next several years. The castle walls have gatehouses at each of the three corners with guest rooms, apartments, offices, and structures for various functions such as a harvest processing room.
The most recent construction focused on the central main building. This structure includes the Great Hall, atrium, eight story Lookout Tower, commercial kitchen, astronomical observation tower and residence.
Design Inspiration
A Renaissance castle was chosen for Uhuburg to reflect the Scientific Age and Enlightenment values of truth, beauty and wisdom. This is the era when Nicolaus Copernicus published De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) in 1543, which became a milestone for the scientific approach. As a Citadel of Epistemology, Uhuburg champions the Renaissance virtues of reason, knowledge, beauty, and truth in understanding life.
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Embracing Appalachia
Uhuburg is not a copy of another castle but has many of the features of European design. It is intended to be uniquely characteristic to the southern Appalachia Mountains and decorated with the local animals and fauna, and recognize local customs and music as much as is possible.