Burg Haineck, Medieval castle ruin in Nazza, Germany

Burg Haineck is a ruin on a mountain spur at 375 m above sea level above Nazza, the only visible castle ruin in the Hainich range. Its irregular pentagonal plan has a ten-metre-high perimeter wall, two towers and a ditch on three sides. The eastern tower, set in the point of the shield wall, is levelled to the wall height; the surviving western tower, about 19 m high, protected the gate and is climbed by an external staircase as an observation tower.

The fortress was built in 1392 by Landgrave Balthasar as a border defense against the Electorate of Mainz and the free imperial city of Mühlhausen. It lost importance and was abandoned around 1550 when its owners relocated to the newly constructed Nazza Castle in the valley below.

The castle grounds are maintained by the Burg- und Heimatverein Nazza, and the municipality uses the ruin for cultural events. Every year on Ascension Day an open-air church service is held inside the walls. A stone at the foot of the old Lotzengrund court recalls the burning of witches, and legends tell of treasure hidden by dwarves.

The climb to the ruins involves moderate effort and requires appropriate footwear, especially after rain when the ground becomes slippery. The renovated observation platform at the top offers the best views of the entire surrounding region.

The castle had no well of its own, and its owners gave it up around 1550 for the newly built Schloss Nazza in the valley. During the Thirty Years' War villagers from the surrounding area still fled inside the walls to escape plundering soldiers. The thief Florian Henning of Heldrastein is said to have hidden here as well.