Bischofstein Castle

The construction of Burg Bischofstein began between 1242 and 1259 under Archbishop Arnold II of Trier. Around 1262, the Trier Archdeacon Heinrich von Bolanden acquired the still unfinished castle, completed it at his own expense, and donated it to the Trier Cathedral Chapter in 1273. The donation was tied to a lifelong right of residence and the enfeoffment of his successors. The rights and obligations of the feudal lords changed, with the Archbishop gaining increasing influence. During the Palatinate War of Succession, the castle was destroyed by French troops in 1689. After the annexation of the left-bank territories by France, the ruin was auctioned off in 1803. In 1880, Johann Franz Bienen acquired the castle, whose heirs sold it to Erich Deku in 1930. He rebuilt the castle as a holiday residence, integrating the preserved walls but without undertaking a reconstruction.