Burg Schaumberg, Medieval castle in Schalkau, Germany

Burg Schaumberg, also called Schaumburg, is the ruin of a hilltop castle at 492 m above sea level west of Schalkau in Thuringia. Only ruins remain of the fortress that Wilwolt von Schaumberg had rebuilt as a modern stronghold in 1501–1503; the site is the largest archaeological monument in the Sonneberg district. Since the early 1990s the town of Schalkau has carried out securing and clearance work to keep the remains.

The castle was first documented in 1147, probably built by the Burgraves of Meissen of the Sterker von Wohlsbach family and acquired by the Schaumberg family around 1200. In 1216 the Schaumbergs were mentioned in a charter at their ancestral seat, and their servants settled at the foot of the hill, giving Schalkau its name. Displaced by the Hennebergs in the mid-14th century, the castle was rebuilt as a modern fortress by Wilwolt von Schaumberg in 1501–1503. It was plundered and burned in July 1635 during the Thirty Years' War, and five years later the remaining castle and outer bailey were reduced to rubble.

The name Schalkau derives from the castle: the Schaumberger's horse and war servants, called Schalken, settled at the foot of the hill, and the town is still called Schalken in the region. The ruin is the largest archaeological monument in the Sonneberg district, secured and made accessible from the early 1990s.

The ruin lies on the Schaumberg at 492 m above sea level, west of Schalkau. Since the early 1990s the town has carried out safeguarding and clearance work on the site, the largest archaeological monument in the Sonneberg district, so parts of the walls are secured for visitors.

The ruin is the largest archaeological monument in the Sonneberg district. In the early 1990s the town of Schalkau began extensive securing and clearance work to save the remains and open them to visitors. The castle was rebuilt as a modern fortress between 1501 and 1503 under Wilwolt von Schaumberg.