Lichtenstein Castle, Medieval castle ruins near Holzhausen, Germany

Lichtenstein Castle is a levelled spur castle on the 315 m high Burgberg Lichtenstein above the Ulmbach Reservoir, near the Greifenstein village of Holzhausen. It lay on the old High Road from Frankfurt via Wetzlar to Cologne. Only the remains of the neck ditch below the hill plateau and a few wall remnants are left.

The castle was founded around 1225 by the Lords of Lichtenstein but did not stand as an independent structure for long. It was destroyed in 1298 during military conflicts and never functioned as a stronghold again.

The ruin lies on the 11 km Drei-Burgen-Wanderung (Three Castles Route), waymarked with a black shield bearing a white silhouette of Greifenstein Castle. The route runs from Greifenstein past the Lichtenstein ruins to Beilstein and back, passing the Hohe Straße and Trompeters Loch above the Ulmbach Reservoir.

The ruins are located north of the Ulmbach Reservoir and can be reached via hiking trails that also connect to other castle sites nearby. Visitors should expect rough terrain and no facilities, so proper footwear and supplies are necessary.

After the castle was destroyed, the family did not rebuild at the same location but relocated their residence to a different part of the region. This move reveals how noble families adapted their power centers when circumstances changed.