Alte Burg, Castle ruin in Nörvenich, Germany

Alte Burg is the ruin of a medieval motte-and-bailey castle about 500 metres north of Nörvenich, on the steep slope of the Neffelbach. The main castle measured roughly 60 by 35 metres, separated from a horseshoe-shaped outer bailey by a moat 25 to 30 metres wide and ten metres deep. Only a few wall remnants remain.

The castle was a Großmotte, a large motte-and-bailey type, with a stone main castle and a horseshoe-shaped outer bailey. Hermann IV von Saffenberg is named as lord of the castle, which was still inhabited in the 13th century. The site was registered as a ground monument on 3 January 1986 under No. 4 in Nörvenich.

Locals call the site Versunkene Burg, the sunken castle, because its walls have largely disappeared into the slope above the Neffelbach. Since 3 January 1986 it has been listed as ground monument No. 4 in Nörvenich, so the earthworks themselves are what visitors come to see.

The site is easy to reach on foot and you can walk around the outer defenses to see the foundation layout from different angles. Keep in mind this is an archaeological site, so access may be limited at times, so check before you go.

The main castle measured about 60 by 35 metres, and a moat 25 to 30 metres wide and ten metres deep cut it off from the outer bailey. That bailey lay five metres lower and stretched about 100 metres at its longest, with ramparts and ditches six to eight metres wide.