Burg Waldeck, Castle ruin in Lorch, Germany.

Burg Waldeck is a castle ruin perched on elevated ground near Lorch, featuring surviving stone walls from medieval times. The remains reveal how builders of that era designed and reinforced fortifications to protect strategic positions.

Burg Waldeck was a Mainz border fortress guarding the Rheingau Gebück, first documented in 1147 with Wolfricus de Waldeckken; it became a Mainz Offenhaus on 24 June 1315. As a Ganerbenburg, several families such as the Marschälle, Waldbott and Stumpf von Waldeck each built their own house. It decayed in the 17th–18th centuries and was demolished.

Burg Waldeck was a Ganerbenburg: from the 13th century several families held it jointly, including the Marschälle von Waldeck, the Waldbott von Waldeck and the Stumpf von Waldeck. Each co-owner built a separate Burghaus for his family, and a Burgfriedensvertrag regulated their coexistence. The name Waldeck appears in 1147 with Wolfricus de Waldeckken.

The site can be reached by following marked paths from Lorch and is open year-round for exploration. Trail conditions vary with the seasons, so sturdy footwear is recommended for safe access to the ruins.

The 17-metre-deep castle well still survives among the wall remnants, cut through rock to supply the Ganerbenburg's resident families during sieges. The site sits at 230 m above sea level, opposite the Sauerburg, guarding the Rheingau Gebück frontier line for Mainz.