Burg Schraplau, Medieval castle ruins in Schraplau, Germany

Burg Schraplau is a ruined hilltop castle in Schraplau, Saalekreis, Saxony-Anhalt. Only a few outer walls remain, on private land. The Romanesque castle was built around 1200 by the Archbishopric of Magdeburg in the western part of the older Altenburg earthwork, of which a high rampart with dry-stone walling and a foreditch survive.

The fortress first appeared in records around 881 as Scrabenlebaburg and was originally a royal possession under Ludwig the German or his sons. Over the centuries it was rebuilt several times before being permanently abandoned in the early 1700s.

The name Schraplau derives from the Old Thuringian "Scrabanloh", roughly "scratching wood", recorded in the Hersfeld tithe register around 845; the castle appears as "Scrabenlebaburg" around 881. Excavations found Slavic finds and two dry-stone walls from different phases, pointing to destruction and rebuilding during use.

The ruin stands on several private plots in Schraplau, and only a few outer walls remain visible, so the site is hardly accessible. There is no visitor infrastructure; do not enter the grounds without the owners' permission. The preserved earthwork with its dry-stone wall and outer ditch belongs to the Altenburg area.

The name Schraplau first appears around 845 as "Scrabanloh" in the Hersfeld tithe register, meaning roughly "scratching wood" or "clearing wood". The castle itself is recorded around 881 as "Scrabenlebaburg". Excavations found remains of two dry-stone walls built at different times, indicating the site was destroyed and rebuilt during its use.