Are Castle, Medieval castle in Altenahr, Germany.

Are Castle is a ruined hill castle at 240 m above sea level above Altenahr, built of rough grey-brown rubble masonry. Its rectangular plan includes a jagged wall pierced by a pointed archway, a lower wall segment, a projecting section and a raised block, with a flagged terrace behind the wall tops. The southern side has the Schellenturm gate tower and the ruins of the palas, which once had a heated bishop's chamber; north of the first bergfried site are remains of the 12th-century Romanesque chapel.

Count Dietrich I of Are built the castle between 1095 and 1105; it was first documented in 1121. In 1246 the counts of Are-Hochstaden gifted it to the Archbishopric of Cologne, which added the surrounding enceinte in the 14th and 15th centuries. French troops captured it in 1690 after a nine-month siege, and in 1714 Elector Joseph Clemens had the walls blown up.

The counts of Are took their name from the river Ahr, whose surrounding land they owned; in 1140 the family split into the lines of Are-Hochstaden and Are-Nürburg. Conrad of Hochstaden, Archbishop of Cologne from 1238 to 1261, came from this house and began Cologne Cathedral. Since 1965 the grammar school in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler has been called Are-Gymnasium after the castle and family.

The ruins stand on a 240-metre hill above Altenahr, reached on foot via marked trails. The terrain is uneven and rocky, with steep sections, so sturdy footwear is needed. The site has been open to the public since conservation work finished in 1999. The castle well, 29 metres deep, is covered by a metal grille.

The castle well, filled with rubble in 1713, was cleared between 2005 and 2012 and again reaches a depth of 29 metres, now covered by a metal grille. During the 1997 restoration a Hughes 500 helicopter carried building material up on a cable; after 30 flights it crashed on 9 April 1997, killing the pilot.