Kronenburg Castle (Ruin)

In the Kronenburg district of the municipality of Dahlem, the Kronenburg ruin overlooks the Kyll Valley and Kronenburger See. This former hilltop castle in North Rhine-Westphalia was first mentioned in a document in 1277 in records of the Imperial Abbey of Stablo-Malmedy. At that time, the castle was owned by the noble family of Dollendorf. From 1327, an independent Kronenburg line briefly developed, but with the death of Knight Peter von Kronenburg in 1414 without male heirs, the complex became a secondary lordship of the County of Blankenheim-Manderscheid. Between 1555 and 1715, Kronenburg was under Spanish rule due to its affiliation with the Duchy of Luxembourg, which earned the region the nickname “Spanish Land”. The 17th century was marked by plague epidemics that lasted until 1680.