Kurfürstliche Burg von Andernach

Andernach, Germany, Germany

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The Kurfürstliche Burg von Andernach, also known as the Stadtburg or Kurfürstliches Schloss, is a ruined former water castle on the Rhine in the town of Andernach, Rhineland‑Palatinate, Germany.

Construction began around 1200 under the archbishops of Cologne to control the town and the surrounding territory, and it was integrated into the southeastern corner of the medieval town wall, originally surrounded by wide moats and serving as a powerful fortress and residence for the Kölner Kurfürsten.

The castle was attacked several times by rebellious townspeople and severely damaged in the Thirty Years’ War, then largely destroyed by French troops in 1689 during the War of the Palatine Succession, after which only fragments such as the keep, the powder tower, parts of the palas, and pieces of the outbuildings remained.

Today the ruins, together with a pleasant palace garden and the nearby Koblenzer Tor, form a markedly visible medieval ensemble in Andernach’s historic center and are regularly used as a backdrop for festivals and events.