Schönecken Castle

Schönecken, Germany, Germany

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Schönecken Castle is a ruined medieval hill castle perched at 467 meters above the village of Schönecken in Germany's Eifel region, Rhineland-Palatinate, built around 1230 by the Counts of Vianden to guard the Nims Valley and Prüm Abbey's southern border.

Once known as Clara Costa or Bella Costa for its scenic spur location, it features a 120-meter rectangular layout with a protective enceinte wall, neck ditch, and three prominent southern towers—two round ones from the 13th-14th century and a later rectangular one—that once anchored a multi-story residence.

After centuries of noble feuds, Trier elector rule, Thirty Years' War damage, and 19th-century Prussian sales, restorations since 1906 preserved its silhouette for free public hikes offering valley panoramas.