Neideck Castle, Medieval castle ruin in Wiesenttal, Germany

Neideck Castle is a ruined spur castle above the Wiesent valley, split into three sections by deep neck ditches. Behind the outer ditch stands a shield wall built around 1300; the middle bailey retains two artillery roundels, the eastern one with cross-key embrasures for arquebuses and crossbows. On the rocky spur, the tower house rises three storeys, its ground-floor barrel vault dating to the early 13th century.

Neideck Castle was first documented in 1312 as property of the Schlüsselberg family, though a Henry of Neideck appears in a source as early as 1219, suggesting construction in the 12th century. Conrad II of Schlüsselberg expanded it into a fortress covering 140 by 200 metres. He was killed on 14 September 1347 by a stone shot from a trebuchet during a feud, and the castle was destroyed. Rebuilt, it was captured and set on fire in 1553 by mercenaries of Margrave Albert Alcibiades during the Second Margrave War, after which it remained a ruin.

The ruins sit on a dolomite rock that rises above the gorge, giving visitors a wide view over the valley below. The remaining walls and gate structure show how buildings of this kind were once constructed in the region.

The ruins are freely accessible and can be reached on various hiking trails, either from the Wiesent valley or from the villages on the plateau above. Since 2008 a staircase leads up to the 10-metre-high wall crown of the tower house, which serves as a viewing point.

Directly across the valley on the opposite hillside stands a second ruin, Burgruine Streitberg, so the two fortresses face each other across the gorge. This arrangement of two castles within direct sight of one another is rare in this part of Bavaria.