Gustavsburg Castle

The origins of Gustavsburg date back to the Salian period, when it functioned as a border castle. Around 1168, it was destroyed by Emperor Barbarossa and subsequently rebuilt as a Staufer castle. Following the decline of the Staufer emperors, the castle, then known as Hattweiler Castle, came into the possession of the Counts of Zweibrücken. In 1272, a vassal of the Zweibrücken, Bartholomäus von Hattweiler, is mentioned for the first time. The castle changed hands multiple times and was pledged to Philip von Nassau-Saarbrücken in 1402. Elisabeth von Nassau-Saarbrücken mentioned it in her chivalric romance “Sibille”. During the war between Franz von Sickingen and the Archbishop of Trier, Richard von Greiffenklau, in 1522, the castle fell to the Trier forces. It was not until 1543 that the sons of the then-owner regained the castle, passing it on to Friedrich von Steinkallenfels. He sold it to Johann von Warsberg, who in turn sold it to Duke Johann I of Pfalz-Zweibrücken. Duke Johann I had the castle converted into a palace in 1590 and added a watchtower in 1622. During the Thirty Years' War, the palace was destroyed by fire.