Falkenstein Castle, Medieval fortress in Dettingen am Albuch, Germany

Falkenstein Castle is a ruin on a 510-metre rock head in the Eselsburger Valley, about 2.5 km south-southwest of Herbrechtingen and 2.7 km east of Dettingen am Albuch. It consisted of a core castle on the rock and an outer bailey on the western edge of the adjoining plateau; the outer bailey was rebuilt in the mid-15th century and parts of it survive as the Falkenstein domain.

The first documented record appears around 1150 when the fortress belonged to the von Falkenstein family. Over the following century, it passed through the hands of the von Faimingen and later came under the Counts von Helfenstein.

The name Falkenstein, meaning "falcon stone", refers to the rock on which the main castle stood. The outer bailey, rebuilt in the mid-15th century, survives in part and now belongs to the Falkenstein estate. The castle is one of at least 16 Falkensteins in Germany, hence the suffix Gerstetten.

A walking path leads to the castle ruins and takes about an hour to reach on foot from the valley below. Visitors should know that some areas are privately owned, so access is limited to public pathways and viewpoints.

The castle is one of at least 16 castles in Germany called Falkenstein, so the suffix (Gerstetten) distinguishes it from the others. The ruins stand on a 510 m rock in the Eselsburger Tal, and the outer bailey, rebuilt in the mid-15th century, still belongs to the Falkenstein domain.