Schmidtburg Castle

The Schmidtburg castle ruin rises near Schneppenbach in the district of Bad Kreuznach, Rhineland-Palatinate.

The origins of Schmidtburg presumably date back to 926, when Frankish noblemen are said to have built it for protection against Hungarian incursions. However, a confirmed mention only appears in 1084 in connection with its new owner Emicho. His son, Emicho II, took over the castle and later called himself "Wildgraf" (Wild Count), making Schmidtburg one of the ancestral castles of the Wildgraves. In the 13th century, the property was divided, and several lines were formed. Personal conflicts led to the castle being enfeoffed to the Elector and Archbishop Balduin of Trier in 1315. After the Schmidtburg line died out, Trier reclaimed the castle as a lapsed fief, and although the Wildgraves tried to regain control until 1342, it became a Trier state castle and administrative seat. In the 14th century, numerous knightly families resided in the lower castle as castle men.