Kastellaun Castle

Kastellaun, Germany, Germany

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Kastellaun Castle in Kastellaun, Rhein-Hunsrück district, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, is a 13th-century ruined fortress first documented in 1226 as Kestilun, built by the Counts of Sponheim atop a rocky slate outcrop to dominate the region between the Rhine, Moselle, and Nahe rivers.

Serving as a residence for Simon II of Sponheim-Kreuznach in 1301, it endured a 1321 siege by Archbishop Baldwin of Trier—who countered by building nearby Balduinseck—and later housed Edward Fortunatus of Baden in 1594 before destruction by French troops in 1689 during the Palatinate War of Succession.

Acquired by the town in 1884 and restored in phases through 2005—including rebuilt burghouses now housing history exhibits—the UNESCO-context ruins integrated with town walls offer panoramic views and symbolize Hunsrück's medieval power struggles.