Pfalzgrafenstein Castle, Medieval toll castle on Falkenau Island, Rhine River, Germany
Pfalzgrafenstein is a stone castle that rises directly from the Rhine River and has a pentagonal shape. The building features thick walls, a central tower, and small windows that are typical of medieval fortifications.
Ludwig the Bavarian built the pentagonal tower in 1326/27 to control the Rhine toll at Kaub. A six-sided wall 12 metres high followed around 1340. The castle withstood a 39-day siege in 1504, was occupied by Spanish forces from 1620, and received its baroque tower cap in 1714. Tolls were collected until 1867.
The name Pfalzgrafenstein refers to the Counts Palatine, who held the Rhine toll at Kaub; the castle was never a residence but a customs post. Tolls were paid at the Kaub customs house, and a chain boom across the river forced ships to stop. The castle dungeon was a wooden raft at the bottom of a well, rising with high water.
A ferry connects the town of Kaub with the island and operates regularly during the day. It is wise to wear comfortable shoes, as the visit involves stairs and uneven stone surfaces.
The dungeon floor was a wooden raft at the bottom of a well; prisoners were lowered by rope and stayed until a ransom was paid. Ships could not dock at Falkenau island, so tolls were settled at the customs house in Kaub on the opposite bank.
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