Heidelsburg

The Heidelsburg, also called the Bunenstein, is an old fortification in the western Palatine Forest in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate that goes back at least to the days of the Roman Empire. Today only the remains of two gates, together with their steps, the castle walls and a cistern have survived.

The castle ruins lie 3 kilometres southeast of Waldfischbach-Burgalben on a rocky ridge of the Drei-Sommer-Berg at a height of 340 metres above sea level (NN) above the valley of Schwarzbachtal.

The Heidelsburg cannot be accessed by car, but there is a waymarked forest walk starting at the Galgenberghaus ("Gallows Hill House") car park near Waldfischbach-Burgalben (approximately 4 km, duration about one hour), Several well-signed paths of varying difficulty and length run from the Sommerdelle car park in the Schwarzbachtal valley to the Heidelsburg. Most of the route is on gravelled or small forest paths which, depending the season and usage, can be overgrown.

According to finds of Roman coins which came to light in the 1970s, the Heidelsburg was built between the 2nd century A.D. (the time of Emperor Hadrian) and 351 (the time of the Germanic invasions). Based on the location and shape of the site as well as a find of Gallic coins, historians believe it is possible that there may have been an earlier structure going back to the Celts, with an origin of around 100 B.C. It is also possible that the castle was extended during the late Carolingian period, as suggested by certain features in the construction of the chamber gate. In a 1355 document, a rock formation is named as the Bunenstein and recorded as being situated at the same spot as the Heidelsburg. It was sold by Count Arnold of Homburg to Count Walram of Zweibrücken. The latter wanted to build a castle on the rocks, but this came to nothing.

The actual name of the castle has not survived. The name "Heidelsburg" is related etymologically to Heiden ("heathens") and first appeared in the Middle Ages by which time the castle had been a ruin for several centuries. A local source from Waldfischbach mentions the ruins around 1600.

In 1990 the site went into the possession of the state Forestry and Castle department of the Office for Heritage Monuments.

Text adapted from “Heidelsburg” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Heidelsburg ranks #6,089 of 7,044 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #468 of the 475 mapped in Germany. See how Germany compares in the castle statistics.

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