Dhronecken Castle

Dhronecken Castle is a former castle and current palace in the municipality of Dhronecken in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Around 1300, a knight Conrad von Tronecken is first mentioned in writing, somewhat later the "Feste Troneck" (Fortress Troneck), which is probably much older. For some, it is also considered the ancestral seat of the hero of the Nibelungenlied, Hagen von Tronje. The castle in Dhronecken was the administrative seat of the Dhronecken office, which was also called Mark Thalfang. From 1309, it served as the retirement home of the last Templar Provincial Master or Grand Prior for Upper Germany, Friedrich Wildgraf von Kyrburg. The Wildgraf's castle was unsuccessfully besieged by the Elector of Trier in 1403. It was the residence of the Wildgraf's bailiff until 1798. After the period of French rule, it became the official residence of a Prussian chief forester in 1817. Destroyed several times by Cologne, imperial, and French troops, and finally by an earthquake, only remnants remain, but a corner tower can still be climbed.

On the foundations of the old castle, modern utility buildings were erected, including a larger, towering building called the "Schloss" (palace), which is now used as a forestry office. Next to it, a barn with a timber frame serves as a community center for the municipality of Dhronecken. The castle gardens have been continuously planted and maintained since 1985.

Below the castle is a natural playground on both sides of a stream. A ford with stepping stones, a forum-like play and meeting place rising on the slope, made of mighty stone blocks, wooden walkways over natural swampy terrain, playhouses, a suspension bridge, and a slide are initial attractions for children and adults alike.