Nanstein Castle

Landstuhl, Germany, Germany

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Nanstein Castle is a dramatic red sandstone medieval ruin towering above Landstuhl in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, built around 1152 as an imperial fortress by Frederick I to control key trade routes in the Palatinate.

One of the largest Hohenstaufen strongholds, it pioneered early firearm defenses and became infamous during the Knights' Revolt when knight Franz von Sickingen—the "last knight"—fortified it in 1518, only to die from wounds in a 1523 siege by Trier's archbishop and allies.

Rebuilt as a Renaissance palace by Sickingen's heirs until French destructions in 1668 and 1689, partial 19th-century restorations transformed it into a landscaped garden monument and popular hiking site with panoramic views.