Burg Erenstein, Medieval castle in Möckmühl, Germany

Burg Erenstein, also called Ernstein, is a vanished medieval spur castle site about 300 metres south of Züttlingen station in Möckmühl, on a 255 m high forested spur above the Jagst. The neck ditch is still visible in the ground; of the buildings, only the tower base and a few scattered wall fragments remain.

Burg Erenstein was held in the High Middle Ages by the Ernstein family, first mentioned in 1258, as a fief of the Lords of Dürn and later of Weinsberg. It was owned by a joint-heir association that included the Lords of Neudeck. Around 1400 it passed by marriage to the Lords of Helmstatt, then to the Rüdt von Bödigheim, who sold it in 1443 to Konrad von Weinsberg. Possibly destroyed in the town war of 1449, it was recorded in 1624 as mere masonry.

The name Erenstein comes from the Ernstein stream below the spur and the noble family first recorded in 1258 as "Ernsteiner". The site was a Ganerbenburg held jointly by several families, including the Herren von Neudeck. Around 1400 it passed by marriage to the Helmstatt and later to the Rüdt von Bödigheim, who sold it in 1443 to Konrad von Weinsberg.

Burg Erenstein is a ruin, not an intact castle: only the tower base and scattered wall fragments remain, and the neck ditch is still visible in the ground. The site lies in the upper slope forest about 300 metres south of Züttlingen station, on a 255 m spur above the Jagst. Paths are unmarked and unmaintained, so sturdy footwear is needed.

The castle was owned by a joint inheritance association (Ganerbenverband) that included the Lords of Neudeck. Around 1400 it passed by marriage of the Ernstein daughters to the Lords of Helmstatt, who sold it in 1443 to Konrad von Weinsberg. Only the tower base and scattered wall fragments remain.