Burg Eberbach, Medieval castle ruins in Eberbach, Germany.
Burg Eberbach is a castle ruin above the town of Eberbach on the Neckar River, made up of three separate fortifications built at different times. The sections are known as the front, middle, and rear castles, and they sit along a wooded ridge with open views toward the valley below.
The front castle was built in the late 12th century, the middle castle around 1200, and the rear castle in the mid-13th century. Together they formed a layered fortification meant to control movement through the Neckar valley over several generations.
The name Eberbach comes from the town below, and the three separate castles are distinguished as Vorderburg, Mittelburg and Hinterburg. The site is freely accessible and serves as a destination for walks in the forest around the Burghälde. The Odenwald Club's HW 34 trail connects the town centre to the ruins.
The ruins can be reached by a short walk from a woodland parking area off road L524, or by a longer trail from the town center. The ground is uneven in places, so sturdy footwear makes the visit much more comfortable.
The three castles have no structural links at all; their layout suggests the parts were deliberately kept apart despite the cramped ridge, a parallel drawn with the three castles of the Elsass. The front castle's tower has a round-arched entrance at ground level, probably a stable, and a second high entrance into the living quarters. A 3.5 m cistern collected rainwater; there was probably no well.
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