Alt-Wolfstein Castle

The construction of Alt-Wolfstein Castle is dated to around 1160/70 under Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, presumably for securing and administering the imperial estate around Kaiserslautern. The castle was first mentioned in a document in 1275 as "Woluistein," at which time it was occupied by imperial ministerials. In the 14th century, it served as a pledge object and thus came into the possession of the Counts of Sponheim and Veldenz. Baldwin of Luxembourg repeatedly failed in his attempts to acquire the castle through an imperial pledge. Repeated attacks by the Sponheim ministerial families who occupied the castle led to armed conflicts. For instance, the Bishop of Speyer occupied the castle in 1362, and in 1400, the Archbishops of Mainz and Trier, the Duke of Lorraine, and Count Palatine Ruprecht III besieged the complex.