Burgruine, Castle ruin in Hollfeld, Germany.

Burgruine Krögelstein is a rock castle ruin on a dolomite spur above the village of Krögelstein in the Kaiserbach valley. All that remains is a single flying arch with three window slits on a dolomite rock west of the parish church. The castle was a massive structure with timber-framed upper storeys and a tower topped by four oriels, as shown in a 1523 woodcut.

The noble lords of Krögelstein are documented from 1149 to 1239, and the spur castle was first recorded as a castrum in 1328. After the family died out, the castle passed to the Bishopric of Bamberg, which pledged it to the cathedral chapter in 1313. Held by the von Giech family, it was destroyed on 4 July 1523 by the Swabian League because Georg Wolf von Giech sheltered his brother-in-law, the robber knight Hans Thomas von Absberg. It was never rebuilt.

The name Krögelstein comes from the noble family of the same name, documented from 1149 to 1239. The former castle chapel, built around 1250, has served as the parish church since 1421. Inside, a bronze epitaph commemorates Georg Dietrich von Giech, who died in 1607, and the keystone of the choir vault bears the Giech coat of arms.

Multiple hiking trails lead to the ruins throughout the year. Winter visits offer better sight lines and easier access since vegetation is less dense.

A 1523 woodcut by war reporter Hans Wandereisen shows the castle already in flames, with troops of the Swabian League carrying firewood toward it. The print labels it "Kriegelstain" and notes it belonged to Jörg von Giech near Hollfeld, taken and burned on 4 July 1523.