Steinheim Castle

First documented in 1222 as “castrum Steinheim,” the castle was initially owned by the Lords of Eppstein. Around 1300, the complex was partially destroyed in a conflict between King Albrecht I and the Archbishop of Mainz, Gerhard II of Eppstein, but was quickly rebuilt. In 1320, the settlement of Steinheim received town rights. Financial difficulties led the Eppsteins to pledge the castle to the Counts of Katzenelnbogen and the Lords of Hanau, before it fully passed to the Lords of Cronberg in 1393. In 1425, Gottfried VII of Eppstein sold the castle to the Archbishopric of Mainz, which used it as a residence and administrative seat until 1803.