Burg Reifenberg, Medieval castle ruins in Oberreifenberg, Germany.

Burg Reifenberg is a medieval castle ruin on a hilltop in Oberreifenberg, in the Taunus region of Germany. The central keep still stands above the other remains, and the foundation walls of several buildings show how the different parts of the castle were once laid out across the summit.

Burg Reifenberg was first documented in 1331, though its construction likely began more than a century earlier, with hints of a start in the 10th or 11th century. It was the seat of the Reiffenberg family, related to the Hattsteiners, and from the 14th century its occupants feuded with the Falkensteiners, Kronberg, Frankfurt and Mainz. In 1587 Friedrich von Reiffenberg had it burned down; it was rebuilt, damaged in the Thirty Years' War, and finally destroyed in 1689 in the War of the Palatine Succession.

The name of the castle comes directly from the noble family that once ruled here, and their presence is still felt in the layout of the surviving walls. Visitors walking through the remains can still read the outline of residential quarters, where private life and authority once shared the same space.

The ruin sits on a hilltop and can only be reached on foot, so sturdy shoes are a good idea as the ground can be uneven in places. Before visiting, it is worth checking which parts of the site are currently open to walk through, as access may vary.

The residential tower has an unusual rectangular footprint of just 4.5 by 11 metres, with walls 0.8 metres thick, rising 19 metres over five floors of roughly 17 square metres each. Its narrow stone spiral staircase leads to a viewing platform at 21 metres, open on weekends from spring to autumn, with views over Oberreifenberg and the Großer Feldberg.