Stapelburg Castle, Medieval castle in Nordharz, Germany.

Stapelburg Castle is a ruined hilltop castle on a hill rising about 20 metres above the village of Stapelburg, at the northern edge of the Harz. A surviving stretch of rubble-stone wall with window and gate openings stands at the southern edge of the plateau, and a locked door further north leads to a reconstructed cellar used as an event space, its ventilation shaft shaped like a well.

The Counts of Wernigerode built the fortress before 1306 to supervise an important traffic route between their territories. Later, the Diocese of Halberstadt acquired the site and used it to control and secure its regional holdings.

The castle reflects the building style typical of noble residences in the northern Harz region. Visitors can still see the sturdy walls and defensive walkways that show how such fortifications looked and functioned during the Middle Ages.

Access to the hill starts at the village church, where a war memorial for the fallen of the First World War stands about halfway up. A very large old lime tree next to it, formerly protected, was brought down by a storm gust on 7 February 2022. A vehicle track up the hill begins at the edge of the village.

The fortress functioned as a toll station where goods and travelers on the passing road were checked and fees collected. This economic role made the castle particularly valuable and eventually attracted the attention of church institutions.