Burg Ruppertsecken, Castle ruins in Ruppertsecken, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Burg Ruppertsecken is the ruin of a hill castle on the Schlossberg at 498 m above sea level in the municipality of Ruppertsecken, Donnersbergkreis, Rhineland-Palatinate. The site is also called Raubschloss. The castle was first mentioned in 1344 and was besieged and razed in 1470; a reconstruction was forbidden. In 1889 a water reservoir shaped like a medieval donjon was built on the castle grounds.

The castle first appears in written records in 1344 under the control of Palatine Counts Ruprecht I and Ruprecht II. Its destruction came during a siege in 1470, after which it was abandoned and not rebuilt.

Local people call the ruin Raubschloss, "robber castle". A legend tells that during the 1470 siege the count's wife carried her husband out on her back, and the Palatine count kept his word and spared her and the defenders. Stones from the walls were carted off for village houses, including the 1869 bell tower.

The site is reached by marked hiking trails that wind through the forested region and are clearly signposted throughout. Wear sturdy footwear since the path includes steep sections and uneven ground in places.

A water reservoir built in 1889 was designed to resemble a medieval keep tower. This structure shows how the ruined castle continued to inspire local builders long after its original destruction.