Burgruine Schartenberg

Zierenberg, Germany, Germany

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Burgruine Schartenberg, also called Schartenburg, is a medieval hill castle ruin north of Zierenberg in Germany's Hesse region, featuring a prominent 3-meter-thick donjon tower as its main surviving structure amid faint plateau remnants of a once-large complex with the neighboring Groppeschloss.

First documented in 1020, it changed hands among lords over nearly 500 years until described as abandoned and ruinous around 1518, now serving as a rugged hiking spot without facilities in the Naturpark Habichtswald, though access is currently restricted due to collapse risks. Distinct from the nearby Schreckenbergturm watchtower 2 km south, it evokes romantic notions of life's transience as seen in art.