Burg Hattenheim, Castle ruin in Hattenheim, Germany

Burg Hattenheim is a ruined castle in the centre of Hattenheim, a district of Eltville am Rhein. Its four-storey residential tower carries a cross-wing with stepped gables, and its tall chimney rises well above the roofs of the village. The complex was probably surrounded by a water-filled moat fed by the nearby Leimersbach.

The tower was built around 1100 and passed to the Langwerth von Simmern family in 1411, who made it their home for approximately 300 years until 1711. After several ownership changes over the centuries, local residents established a community association to care for it in 1979.

Locals nicknamed the ruin simply "der Bau" (the building), a name that stuck for generations. Since 1979 the Burg- und Verschönerungsverein Hattenheim has held the site under a hereditary lease from the Langwerth von Simmern family, who remain the owners, and uses it for festivals and private celebrations.

The castle opens for public events throughout the year and can be rented for private celebrations and gatherings. The restored interior spaces work well for different kinds of occasions, and the central village location makes it easy to find and access.

The castle was probably surrounded by a water-filled moat fed by the nearby Leimersbach stream. Locals later dropped the word Burg and called the complex simply "der Bau" (the building), a nickname that stuck for generations.