Burgruine Freudenburg, Castle ruin in Freudenburg, Germany

Burgruine Freudenburg is a medieval castle site where partial stone walls and towers still stand as remnants of the original fortification. The remains display the typical construction of 14th century defensive structures with their characteristic architectural elements for protection.

King John of Bohemia, Count of Luxembourg, built the castle between 1330 and 1337 to secure the 440-metre Eiderberg, then sold it to his uncle, Archbishop Balduin of Luxembourg. After decay in the 15th century it passed in 1589 to the Imperial Abbey of St. Maximin, which restored it under Abbot Reiner Biewer. In 1646 Elector Philipp Christoph von Sötern seized and destroyed it; the ruins were sold to the municipality of Freudenburg in 1861, with consolidation work in 1908 and 1980.

The castle gate and the 16-metre-wide neck ditch survive as the most visible remains. The gate marks the only entrance, cut through the rock spur. Visitors can also trace the three-storey stone building and the palas with its carved Gothic door and window lintels.

Access to the ruins follows marked pathways that are reachable from the town area. Information panels at the site explain different sections and help visitors understand the layout of the former castle.

The castle sits on a rocky spur at 440 metres above sea level, cut off from the village by a neck ditch 16 metres wide and 51 metres long — the only approach to the site. The triangular walled enclosure rises in three storeys above the rock edge.