Ehrenfels Castle (Ruin) (Rüdesheim)

The origins of Ehrenfels Castle date back to the early 13th century, when it was possibly built around 1211 by Philipp von Bolanden on behalf of the Archbishop Siegfried II of Eppstein of Mainz. This construction was a response to attacks by Count Palatine Heinrich I during the conflict over the imperial crown. Although von Bolanden built the castle with his own funds, the Archbishopric of Mainz claimed the property, a claim confirmed by a royal judgment in 1222. By the mid-13th century, Ehrenfels had become an important customs station. During the Rhenish Customs War of 1301, it served as a stronghold for the Archbishop of Mainz and was pledged for five years after the defeat. Kuno II von Falkenstein expanded the complex after it was pledged to him in 1353. During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was besieged and occupied multiple times.