Veldenz Castle

Veldenz Castle, also known as Nohfelden Castle, is located on a mountain spur in the village of Nohfelden in the district of St. Wendel in northern Saarland.

The hilltop castle was first mentioned in a document in 1285. Its builder, Wilhelm Bossel II. vom Stein, who came from Oberstein on the Nahe, had to grant the Count of Veldenz the right of access to his castle in the document. After the extinction of the vom Stein family, the castle passed to the Counts of Veldenz.

In the middle of the 15th century, the Dukes of Palatinate-Zweibrücken acquired the castle and the lordship of Nohfelden. Until the French Revolution, the castle was the seat of a Zweibrücken bailiff. In 1490, the castle witnessed one of the saddest chapters in the history of Palatinate-Zweibrücken. After the death of Duke Ludwig the Black, his sons Kaspar and Alexander had ruled together for a year when Alexander had his older brother forcibly deposed. He was taken to Veldenz Castle and remained there – even after his brother's death – until his own death in 1527.

In the many wars of the 17th century, the castle was not left undisturbed, but was always maintained. In 1661, Duke Friedrich died at the castle. In 1804, the castle was declared French national property and sold to the Cetto brothers from St. Wendel. Thereafter, the castle complex fell into disrepair, now serving as a source of building material.

The owner of the castle ruins is the municipality of Nohfelden.

The 21-meter-high round keep of the castle is still preserved. The grounds of the castle complex extend over a length of 100 meters. The cellar of the palas has been accessible again since 1971. It was about 30 meters long and 12 meters wide. Houses are now located on the remaining castle area. Meanwhile, the tower has a roof again.

The castle tower is freely accessible from April to October. Guided tours are also conducted by arrangement with the local tourism association.