Rheingrafenstein Castle

The origins of Rheingrafenstein Castle likely date back to the 11th or 12th century, when it was built by the Emichones, the counts of the Nahegau. It served as the ancestral seat of the Knights of Stein, who later became known as the Wild- and Rheingrafen and held the castle until the French Revolution. Rheingrafenstein Castle was first documented in the 13th century. During the Thirty Years' War, the complex was captured by Spanish troops. Its destruction occurred in 1688 during the War of the Palatine Succession by French troops under General Mélac. Parts of the ruin were used in 1721 for the construction of a saltworks.