Virneburg Castle

The construction of Virneburg Castle is presumed to have taken place in the second half of the 12th century, initially as a fief of the Counts Palatine. A document from 1192, mentioning the brothers Gottfried and Friedrich von Virneburg, is the first reference to the complex, although the authenticity of this 16th-century copy is debated. The Lords of Virneburg, who later rose to the rank of counts, were already mentioned in 1042. The feudal sovereignty changed hands multiple times, including to the Counts of Sayn and the Archbishops of Trier. In 1339, a part of the castle, including the “highest tower,” was enfeoffed to the Trier Elector Balduin.