Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 2025

1. Introduction

Welcome to castles.guide (the “Website”). We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy outlines how we handle and process the personal data we collect from you or that you provide to us when using our Website, in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable German law (e.g., Bundesdatenschutzgesetz – BDSG).

Controller / Verantwortlicher:
Elias Stadler
Pödeldorfer Str. 194
96050 Bamberg, Germany
Email: info@castles.guide

If you have questions regarding this Privacy Policy or our data processing activities, please contact us at the above email.

2. Data We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Voluntarily

  • Contact Information: When you fill out a contact form, sign up for our newsletter, or otherwise communicate with us, we may collect your name, email address, and any other information you choose to provide.

2.2 Information We Collect Automatically

  • Technical Data: When you visit our Website, we automatically collect certain information, including your IP address, browser type and version, time zone setting, operating system, and platform.
  • Usage Data: We may also collect information about how you use our Website, such as the pages you visit, the links you click, and the time you spend on each page.

2.3 Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies to provide essential site functionality.

3. Legal Bases for Processing

Under the GDPR, we must have a valid legal basis to process your personal data. Depending on the context of collection, our legal bases may include:

  1. Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR): For example, when you sign up for a newsletter or agree to certain types of cookies.
  2. Performance of a Contract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR): If you create an account or purchase a product/service, we process your data to fulfill our contractual obligations.
  3. Legal Obligations (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR): We may be required to process your data to comply with legal obligations (e.g., tax or accounting requirements).
  4. Legitimate Interests (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR): For example, to protect our Website, ensure network and information security, or to conduct analytics that improve our services. We only rely on this basis where our legitimate interests are not overridden by your fundamental rights and freedoms.

4. How We Use Your Data

We may use your personal data for the following purposes:

  • To Provide Our Services: Manage your account, process transactions, or deliver requested content.
  • To Communicate with You: Respond to your inquiries, provide updates, or send marketing communications (if you have opted in).
  • To Improve Our Website: Monitor and analyze usage trends, improve site functionality, and enhance the user experience.
  • For Compliance and Legal Reasons: Enforce our Terms & Conditions, protect our rights, or comply with legal obligations.

5. Disclosure of Your Data

We will not sell or rent your personal data to third parties. However, we may share your data with:

  1. Service Providers: Third-party vendors who assist us in operating our Website or conducting our business (e.g., hosting providers, email service providers, payment processors). We ensure these providers only process data on our behalf and under strict data protection agreements.
  2. Legal or Regulatory Authorities: If required by law, or if necessary to protect our rights or the rights of others (e.g., in response to a court order or government request).

If we transfer personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA), we ensure appropriate safeguards (e.g., Standard Contractual Clauses) are in place.

6. Data Retention

We store your personal data only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or to comply with legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. After this period, your personal data will be securely deleted or anonymized.

7. Your Rights Under the GDPR

Under the GDPR, you have certain rights regarding your personal data:

  1. Right to Access (Art. 15 GDPR): You can request information about which personal data of yours we process and a copy of that data.
  2. Right to Rectification (Art. 16 GDPR): You have the right to request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
  3. Right to Erasure (Art. 17 GDPR): Under certain circumstances, you can request deletion of your personal data (the “right to be forgotten”).
  4. Right to Restriction of Processing (Art. 18 GDPR): You may request restriction of your data processing under specific conditions.
  5. Right to Data Portability (Art. 20 GDPR): You can request a copy of your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
  6. Right to Object (Art. 21 GDPR): You can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
  7. Right to Withdraw Consent (Art. 7(3) GDPR): If you have given consent to process your data, you may withdraw it at any time with future effect.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@castles.guide.

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies to improve your experience on our Website. Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We classify cookies into:

  • Essential Cookies: Necessary for the operation of the Website.
  • Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how users interact with the site (e.g., Google Analytics).
  • Marketing Cookies: Used to personalize advertising or track user behavior across websites.

Where required by law, we will seek your consent before setting non-essential cookies. You can withdraw your consent or change your preferences at any time via your browser settings.

9. Third-Party Services

OpenStreetMap
Our website uses map services provided by the OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF) via the Leaflet Plugin to display interactive maps. When you access a page containing an embedded map, your browser establishes a direct connection to the servers of OpenStreetMap. As a result, certain information, including your IP address, may be transmitted to OSMF. This processing enables us to provide our online content in an easily accessible and user-friendly format and is based on our legitimate interest (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR).

OpenStreetMap may store cookies or other data on your device; however, we do not have full influence over data collection and processing by OSMF. For more information on how OpenStreetMap processes user data, please see OpenStreetMap’s Privacy Policy.

If you prefer not to transmit data to OpenStreetMap, you can disable JavaScript in your browser settings. However, this may result in the map function not being available.

10. Security Measures

We use appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, and unauthorized disclosure or access. However, no method of data transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. The updated version will be indicated by an updated “Last Updated” date and will be effective as soon as it is accessible. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data processing activities, please contact us:

Elias Stadler
Pödeldorfer Str. 194
96050 Bamberg

Contact:
E-Mail: info@castles.guide

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