Löwensburg Castle

In the Elz Valley above the Eifel community of Monreal, the Löwensburg castle ruin, also known as Monreal Castle, is located. Together with the neighboring Philippsburg, it forms an ensemble of historical fortifications in Rhineland-Palatinate.

The Löwensburg was first documented in 1229. Count Hermann III von Virneburg erected the castle on his brother Philipp's land, leading to conflicts. These were later resolved, and Philipp ceded his rights. The complex was used multiple times as a dowager's seat for the count's family in the 14th and 15th centuries and became the main residence of the Virneburgers in the 16th century. After the family died out in 1545, the castle was enfeoffed to Heinrich von Leiningen, and later the Elector of Trier appointed his own bailiff. In 1632, the castle suffered damage during its defense against Swedish troops and was finally destroyed by French troops in 1689 during the Palatine War of Succession. After secularization in 1815, it became Prussian state property and is now managed by the Directorate of Castles, Palaces, and Antiquities of Rhineland-Palatinate, which has been carrying out preservation measures since 1970.