Burg Hauenstein, Medieval castle ruins in Krombach, Germany

Burg Hauenstein is a ruined hilltop castle above the Schloßgrundgraben stream in the Kahlgrund. Its remains include a cellar with walls and a barrel vault, plus adjacent wall sections on the east side of the plateau. A 2017 excavation found traces of a corner tower in the southwest, a zwinger, and a large stone building in front of the castle wall.

The castle was probably built before 1300 by the Counts of Rieneck or their vassals. In 1375 Werner Kolling was commissioned by Ulrich IV of Hanau to build a residential wing at Hauenstein. In spring 1405 troops of the Archbishop of Mainz, acting for King Ruprecht, took the castle, and on 18 May 1405 craftsmen from Frankfurt destroyed it. The outer bailey remained inhabited until Swedish troops destroyed it in the Thirty Years' War.

The site reveals how medieval nobility lived here, visible in the layout of rooms and the way stone structures were built to divide spaces. Visitors walking through can sense the arrangement of daily life from centuries ago.

The ruins are reached via the Alte Heuweg, an old trade path; the site lies on the Birkenhainer Straße cultural trail, described on panel 7. The terrain is uneven, with loose stones around the wall remains, so sturdy shoes help. The castle hill is separated from the large Hof Hauenstein by a dip.

The 2017 dig, a joint project of the Spessart archaeological project, Krombach, Mömbris and local heritage groups, found 13th-century pottery predating the castle's first written mention. A rampart across the stream bed let the upper Schloßgrundgraben be dammed.