Battenberg Castle

Battenberg Castle is a medieval fortress in ruins situated on a sandstone hill of the Haardt range at approximately 280 meters elevation. The remains include outer walls, a gate tower, a battery tower with gun emplacements, and foundations of a large residential structure from various construction periods.

Count Frederick III of Leiningen built this castle in the 13th century, and it remained under the family's control for centuries. The fortress was destroyed in 1689 during the War of the Palatine Succession and was never rebuilt afterward.

The castle takes its name from the Battenberg family who once ruled from this location. Today visitors can see remaining walls, a gate structure, and a battery tower that reveal how the fortress was used across different periods.

The privately owned castle ruins offer limited public access, so visitors should check conditions before arriving. The elevated location provides good viewpoints across the Rhine Plain and surrounding Odenwald region if access is permitted.

The area around the castle features unusual rock formations called Blitzroehren, which are hard columns of iron-rich minerals. These were created through natural erosion over time rather than lightning strikes, despite what the name suggests.