Burgruine, Castle ruin in Gemünden am Main, Germany.

Scherenburg stands on a hilltop above Gemünden am Main and still displays medieval stone walls, towers, and foundation structures. The remaining parts show how a fortress of that era was constructed and organized.

The Counts of Rieneck probably built the castle before 1243 as a toll castle guarding the Main crossing and the border with Würzburg, which led to a dispute with Bishop Hermann I of Lobdeburg, settled by treaty in 1243. In 1469 it passed to Würzburg and took the name of Prince-Bishop Rudolf II of Scherenberg. It served as an Amtskeller until 1598, a wedding was still held in its chapel in 1732, and decay set in during the second half of the 18th century. Since 1965 it has belonged to the town of Gemünden.

The location served as a symbol of local nobility's power and shaped the landscape for centuries. Visitors can still read how people of that era organized and protected their territory from the remaining stone structures.

You can reach the ruins via marked hiking trails from Gemünden am Main, with parking available at the base of the hill. The paths vary in accessibility depending on the season and the terrain can be steep and uneven.

The round bergfried now serves as a bat roost, which is why it can no longer be climbed. Visitors instead look out from the small zwinger, laid out as a terrace over the Main and Saale valleys and toward the Spessart hills.