Auerbach Castle

Germany, Germany

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Auerbach Castle, perched atop the Urberg hill near Bensheim-Auerbach in Hesse, Germany, is a 13th-century medieval fortress originally constructed around 1222 by Count Diether IV von Katzenelnbogen to secure trade routes along the Bergstraße and protect toll revenues.

Strategically positioned amid the Odenwald foothills, it features a triangular inner bailey, deep well, thick bastion from 1370—the first in Germany—and towers reinforced after a 1356 earthquake, passing to Hesse in 1479 before burning in 1674 during the Franco-Dutch War.

Romantic-era preservation in the 19th century stabilized the picturesque ruins, now offering panoramic Rhine Valley views, a restaurant, iconic pine tree on the battlements, and hiking access as a cherished local landmark.