Burg Scharfenstein

Kiedrich, Germany, Germany

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Burg Scharfenstein is a medieval spur castle ruin towering above Kiedrich in Hesse's Rheingau-Taunus district, Germany, constructed around 1160 by Archbishop Christian I of Mainz to protect the road from Eltville over the heights.

Serving as the ancestral seat for the noble Scharfenstein family in Mainz's service and occasionally an episcopal residence in the 13th century, it features a prominent 28-meter round bergfried tower with 3-meter-thick walls, a high entrance originally reached by drawbridge, and vaulted prison below, while most other structures vanished by 1686 with final demolition in 1962.

Restored in 2008-2009 at a cost of €380,000, the site—Kiedrich's emblem in local seals since 1420—offers key access from town hall for climbs to its panoramic platform, except March-July during jackdaw nesting.