Burgstelle Alt-Scharfeneck

Frankweiler, Germany, Germany

---

Burgstelle Alt-Scharfeneck, near Frankweiler in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, is the site of a medieval spur castle built in the early 13th century, likely by Reichsministeriale Heinrich I. von Scharfenberg around 1219 to bolster family influence amid his brother Konrad's rise as Bishop of Speyer.

Passed to Heinrich's sons in 1232 and later to Johann von Scharfeneck-Metz, it declined by the late 13th century as the larger Neuscharfeneck Castle took precedence, with parts pawned to local lords and eventually acquired by the Palatinate in 1416 before falling into ruin.

Dismantled for stone in 18th-19th century fortress construction at Germersheim and further eroded by a nearby quarry, only sparse wall remnants and foundations uncovered in 1950s-1970s excavations remain today, now overgrown on the Ringelsberg spur above the Hainbachtal.