Kauzenburg Castle

The Kauzenburg was first documented in 1206 when King Philip of Swabia forbade the construction of a castle. Nevertheless, the Counts Gottfried III. and Johann I. of Sponheim erected an initial castle complex between 1206 and 1230. The castle experienced several divisions, including in 1417 between the Sponheim counts and Elector Ludwig III., and in 1437 with additional parties such as Friedrich III. of Veldenz and the Margrave of Baden. After the loss of the Baden share in the Palatinate War (1450–1470), the castle was expanded by Elector Philipp, before Baden became a co-owner again in 1503. During the Thirty Years' War, the castle changed hands multiple times: conquered and fortified by Marquis Spinola in 1620, taken by the Swedes in 1632, occupied by imperial troops in 1635, recaptured by the French in 1639, and again taken by imperial forces in 1641.