Kronberg Castle, Medieval rock castle in Kronberg im Taunus, Germany

Kronberg Castle is a medieval fortress sitting on a hill above the town of Kronberg im Taunus, made up of stone towers, thick walls, and a well-preserved keep. The complex is split into an upper and a lower section, built at different times, and parts of it still stand in very good condition.

The castle's origins are undocumented; architectural features suggest a first building phase around 1170, in the early reign of Frederick Barbarossa. The von Cronberg family, ministerials from Eschborn first recorded by name in 1189, held it as a fief from about the mid-13th century. The male line of the Kronenstamm died out in 1704, ending the family's role at the castle.

The name Kronberg comes from the castle, not the other way round: the first written mention of a "von Cronenberg" dates to 1230, about two generations after the presumed start of building. The chapel of about 1342 served as burial place for several knightly families and still holds epitaphs in the choir; since the mid-20th century it has also held graves of the House of Hesse.

The castle is within walking distance from the center of Kronberg im Taunus, reached by a short uphill path through the old town. Wear sturdy shoes, as some sections of the path are uneven and can be slippery after rain.

The castle gate beside the ticket house and town museum was probably built in 1478, replacing an earlier structure; its upper floor long served as the gatekeeper's flat. The oak gate leaves, however, date from the restoration around 1900. The chapel next to it, built around 1342, holds epitaphs in the choir and, since the mid-20th century, graves of the House of Hesse in the roofless nave, damaged by bombs in 1943.