Kastellaun Castle

The origins of Kastellaun Castle date back to the 13th century, with a first documented mention from 1248, when it was owned by the Counts of Sponheim. By 1301, it served as a residence for Count Simon II of Sponheim. In 1321, the castle was besieged by Archbishop Balduin of Trier, who subsequently had the nearby Balduinseck Castle built in 1325 as a counter-fortress. After the extinction of the Sponheim counts, the castle passed to Margrave Bernhard of Baden and Count Friedrich of Veldenz, who exercised a joint rule. The last Veldenz count bequeathed his share in 1444 to Stefan of Pfalz-Simmern-Zweibrücken, bringing the castle into the sphere of influence of the Palatinate. In 1594, it served as a refuge for the exiled Margrave Eduard Fortunatus of Baden-Baden and again as a residence. During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was occupied, and in 1689, during the War of the Palatine Succession, it was blown up by French troops, though the powder tower partially survived. The castle was not rebuilt thereafter. In 1820, the ruin came into private ownership before being acquired by the town of Kastellaun in 1884, when initial preservation measures were undertaken. Between 1990 and 1993, a renovation of the castle hill and the ruin took place, including the reconstruction of the lower castle and the access path.