Burg Reipoltskirchen

Reipoltskirchen, Germany, Germany

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Burg Reipoltskirchen, also known as Wasserburg Reipoltskirchen, is a well‑preserved medieval water castle in the village of Reipoltskirchen in the Kusel district of Rhineland‑Palatinate, Germany.

It sits on a low, artificial hill formed by an earth‑filled spur of rock surrounded by the Odenbach stream, with a wide moat fed by the river and high enclosing walls that give it the appearance of a complete, still‑inhabited fortress rather than a ruin.

The castle is thought to have been built in the late 12th century, although the first clear documentary mention of the fortification dates to 1276, when it passed to the noble family of Hohenfels and later served as a family seat and administrative center.

Over the centuries it was repeatedly modified, including gun‑port upgrades in the 16th century, and eventually changed hands several times, yet it survived major wars with relatively little damage, making it one of the best‑kept water castles in the Palatinate today.