Rheingrafenstein Castle is a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

on a porphyry rock formation, the Rheingrafenstein, known as ''Huhinstein'' a thousand years, on the river Nahe, opposite Bad Münster am Stein-Ebernburg in the district

Bad Kreuznach Bad Kreuznach () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach (district), Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a spa town, known for its medieval bridge dating from around 1300, the Alte Nahebrücke (Bad Kreuznach), Alte Nahebrücke, ...

History

The rock castle was probably built in the 11th or 12th century by the Counts of Nahegau of the Emichones family. It was definitely the ancestral castle of the Lords of Stein, the later Wild- and

Rhinegrave (; feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility and later also of the Russian nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title ...

s, and it remained in their possession until the French Revolution. The Lords of Stein were first mentioned in the 12th century. Their relationship to the Counts of Nahegau is unclear. Rheingrafenstein Castle itself is first unambiguously mentioned in the 13th century. The Lords of Stein acquired the Rheingau in the second half of the 12th century through marriage. In 1196, Lord Wolfram of Stein began styling himself ''Rhinegrave''. This title was later attached to his castle. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, the castle was captured by French and Spanish troops. In 1688, it was destroyed by general Mélac. In 1721, a salt works was built on top of the castle's ruins. The castle's last owner, the Prince of Grumbach, moved his residence to nearby Gaugrehweiler. The information sign at the castle reads:

Ruins

Parts of the enceinte, a vaulted cellar, a few steps of the former

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, to command and defend strategic points ...

, and the foundations of the former tower staircase are still standing. Another staircase leads through the rocks to a viewing platform. On the southern slope of the rock, the ruins of the bailey ''Affenstein'' can be seen.

References

* Alexander Thon (ed.): ''Wie Schwalbennester an den Felsen geklebt. Burgen in der Nordpfalz'', 1st ed., Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg, 2005, , p. 130–135 * Alexander Thon and Marin Wenz: ''Rheingrafenstein'', in: Jürgen Keddigkeit, Ulrich Burkhart and Rolf Übel (eds.): ''Pfälzisches Burgenlexikon'', vol. 4/1, O-Sp, Kaiserslautern, 2007, {{ISBN, 3-927754-56-0, p. 242-258

External links

Rheingrafenstein Castle
a
www.burgenspiegel.de

Reconstructed drawing of the medieval situation
Castles in Rhineland-Palatinate Heritage sites in Rhineland-Palatinate Ruined castles in Germany History of Rhineland-Palatinate Buildings and structures in Bad Kreuznach (district)