Abgegangene Burg Lichtenstein

Greifenstein, Germany, Germany

---

Abgegangene Burg Lichtenstein near Greifenstein in Hesse, Germany, is the site of a small medieval spur castle that once stood on the 315‑meter‑high Burgberg Lichtenstein above the village of Holzhausen, close to an old long‑distance road from Frankfurt via Wetzlar to Cologne.

Likely built around 1225 by the local Lords of Lichtenstein, relatives of the nearby Greifenstein family, it was destroyed in 1298 during regional conflicts and never rebuilt, so today only the leveled hilltop remains, with little more than traces of the former neck ditch and minor wall fragments visible on the ground.

The castle hill later passed through several noble owners, including the Solms‑Burgsolms and Nassau‑Hadamar lines, and is now remembered mainly as a historical “burgstall” or vanished castle site that visitors can reach on a short hike through the forested landscape above the Ulmbachtalsperre.