Burg Neidenstein, Castle in Neidenstein, Germany

Burg Neidenstein is a hillside castle on a spur of the Galgenberg above the Schwarzbach valley. A ring wall with defensive and gate towers, a broad neck ditch and a zwinger enclose the core castle at the highest southern point, where the 25-metre bergfried and an 11-metre shield wall stand. The core holds two Palas buildings: the older western one is a ruin, while the late-Gothic eastern Palas is preserved and inhabited. North of it lies the lower Vorburg, also called Neues Schloss, with two Renaissance half-timbered buildings, the Jägerhaus and the Herrenhaus with its staircase tower.

Burg Neidenstein was first mentioned in 1319 as an imperial fief of Friedrich von Venningen, whose family line Venningen-Neidenstein resided there; the oldest building parts date to the 13th century. The line died out in 1611 and was succeeded by Venningen-Hilsbach. In the 16th century the castle was enlarged and a lower courtyard added: wall paintings in the hall date from 1516, the Herrenhaus with staircase tower from 1538, the oriel from 1561 and the outer gate tower from 1569. Philipp von Venningen moved to Eichtersheim in 1667.

The castle is still owned by the von Venningen family, and the core castle is inhabited. Since 1994 the "Jägerhaus" in the outer bailey has housed a local history museum, and the grounds host cultural events and castle concerts by local associations.

The Jägerhaus in the lower courtyard houses a local history museum that visitors can enter, while the upper living areas remain private. Access to the grounds and museum is generally available, though views of the entire complex are limited.

The staircase tower dates from 1538, not the Renaissance generally: Erasmus von Venningen and his brothers Christoph and Hans Moritz built the Herrenhaus in the lower courtyard that year. The 1516 wall paintings are in the eastern Palas, whose upper room served as a chapel until the 16th century.