A Snaga Orc, seemingly having confused "Middle Ages" with "Middle-earth", during the medieval festival "Knights, Minstrels, Cut-purses" at Hilpoltstein Castle, Hilpoltstein, Franconia (Bavaria)
Some background information:
An orc or ork is a fictional humanoid creature that is part of a fantasy race akin to goblins. While the overall concept of orcs draws on a variety of pre-existing mythology, the main conception of the creatures stems from the fantasy writings of J. R. R. Tolkien, in particular "The Lord of the Rings". In Tolkien's works, orcs are a brutish, aggressive, repulsive and generally malevolent species, existing in stark contrast with the benevolent Elvish race and generally pressed into the service of an evil power. They fight ferociously as long as the guiding will of Sauron compels or directs them.
Orcs are of human shape and varying size. They are depicted as ugly and filthy, with a taste for human flesh. Tolkien himself describes them as "squat, broad, flat-nosed, sallow-skinned, with wide mouths and slant eyes". Snaga Orcs are the most widespread subspecies of Orcs. They are quite small and therefore treated by the much taller and stronger Uruk-hai as lesser Orcs.
Hilpoltstein Castle is the ruin of a hill castle on a sandstone rock. It is located in the old town of Hilpoltstein in Middle Franconia in the federal state of Bavaria, about 30 km (19 miles) south of the city of Nuremberg.
The castle dates back to the 10th century, as archaeologists have found evidences for a first fortification already at that time. However the hill castle, as we know it today, was most likely built not before 1100. In 1109, it was first mentioned in a document. In 1154, the castle was named "castellum dicto Stein", which refers to its founders, the Knights von Stein.
Between 1220 and 1230 the great hall and the keep were built. In 1250 the imperial ministerialis Heinrich von Stein pushed on with the further expansion of the castle. He passed the stronghold on to his son Hilpolt I, who also became its name giver. After the death of Hilpolt V in 1385, Hilpoltstein Castle was acquired by the House of Wittelsbach, but not for a long time. Further owners over the next two centuries were the Dukes of Bayern-Landshut and the Dukes of Pfalz-Neuburg.
In 1606, Dutchess Maria Dorothea, who was the widow of Duke Ottheinrich II of Sulzbach, the patriarch of a branch line of the House of Pfalz-Neuburg, chose the castle as her residence. Hence Hilpoltstein Castle was extended again. But after her death in 1639, the estate was abandoned.
In 1793 it was acquired by private persons, who used it as a stone quarry. In 1972, the administrative district of Roth took possession of the meanwhile badly damaged castle and in 1989, the administrative district began to realise extensive measures of protection.
Hilpoltstein Castle can be visited between April and October each year. Every year in May it is the venue of three-day medieval festival "Knights, Minstrels, Cut-purses", where people dress themselves up as medieval citizens and act out their romantic imagination of the Middle Ages.
The town of Hilpoltstein has a population of more than 13,000 and is situated in the administrative district of Roth in Northern Bavaria. The history of the town also dates back to the 10th century. In 1392, Duke Stephan of Bayern-Landshut approved the town privilege of Hilpoltstein. In 1505 Hilpoltstein was attributed to the princedom of Pfalz-Neuburg and in 1542 it was pledged to the free imperial city of Nuremberg for the following 36 years. After this period of time Duke Philipp Ludwig of Pfalz-Neuburg bequeathed both town and castle to his brother Ottheinrich II. After the death of Dutchess Maria Dorothea in 1639, who had chosen Hilpolstein as her place of residence, the castle derelicted and in the following years also the town lost its status as a ducal seat.
In 1799, Hilpolstein was awarded to the Electorate of Bavaria. Due to a boundary adjustment between the Upper Palatinate and Middle Franconia in 1880, the town was affiliated to Middle Franconia. Until 1972 Hilpoltstein was the administrative centre of the administrative district of Hilpoltstein, but has lost this function in the course of local government reorganisation.
