Burgruine Stierberg, Castle ruin in Betzenstein, Bavaria, Germany

Burgruine Stierberg is a ruined spur castle on a rocky saddle of the Schlossberg at about 580 m, with an upper castle on a 60 × 30 m rock outcrop and a lower castle at its western foot. The upper castle preserves remnants of a ring wall, a tower base and an 11 m long, 6–8 m high wall fragment with two buttresses. The lower castle area is occupied by a 1778 official's house.

The castle was first documented in 1187 and passed through the hands of various regional nobles across several centuries. A major turning point came in 1553 when Margrave Albrecht Alcibiades destroyed and burned it during a regional conflict, after which it was gradually abandoned.

The name Stierberg first appears in 1187 with Otnand de Stierberc, a canon of Bamberg Cathedral, and his probable brother Poppo von Stierberg. The family died out between 1281 and 1285, after which the castle passed to the Bishopric of Bamberg. Visitors today reach the freely accessible upper castle from the village of Stierberg along a signposted path.

The upper castle section is open to public access, though the lower section requires advance permission from private owners. Sturdy footwear is essential as the site features rocky ground and steep slopes that become slippery in wet conditions.

The rock face below the upper castle drops vertically for about 20 metres, and a steep, gorge-like stairway once climbed from the walled area by the cave's southern exit to a second entrance. A 1799 engraving by L. Schlemmer shows the northeastern approach passing through a gatehouse or gate tower.