Unterburg Castle (Ruin) (Driedorf)

The Junkernschloss (also called the lower castle in distinction to the upper castle) is a castle ruin in the municipality of Driedorf in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in the Hessian Westerwald.

The castle ruin is located near the Rehbach. A park has been laid out around the castle ruin. The castle ruin is freely accessible.

Before 1280, a seat of the Lords of Greifenstein was located here in the Rehbach-Mühlbach valley. In a dispute, this fell to Otto I (Nassau), who had the square moated castle with a courtyard and palace built on the remains of the old castle complex between 1280 and 1290.

Originally, the castle had only strategic importance. From 1303, however, it served as a residence for Count Emich I of Nassau-Hadamar. He obtained town rights for the settlement in front of the castle in 1305. Through purchase, the castle came into the possession of Otto II of Nassau-Dillenburg, who enfeoffed it to the Junkers Johann and Wiegand von Mudersbach in 1347. Since then, the castle has been known as Junkernschloss.

The castle came into the possession of the Landgraviate of Hesse in 1348, which enfeoffed it to the County of Katzenelnbogen in 1398. In 1557, the castle and settlement fell to Wilhelm von Nassau-Dillenburg. In 1610, the castle was sold to the House of Nassau-Beilstein.

In 1437, Daniel II von Mudersbach became a Hessian castellan. The Mudersbach family continued to provide the castellans under the changing rulers. With the death of Daniel III von Mudersbach in 1600, the family died out in the male line. Daniel's only daughter and her husband Hardmut von Cronberg used the castle as their residence. After that, the castle had no further significance.

The castle fell into ruin. In 1780, the main tower was demolished.