Eckartsburg, Medieval castle ruin in Eckartsberga, Germany

Eckartsburg is a partially preserved hilltop castle on a ridge above Eckartsberga, consisting of a core castle and an outer bailey. It is entered through an 8.2-meter gate arch with a guard niche also used as a prison. The core castle has a 10.4-meter-long gate with three-meter-thick walls. The surviving 22-meter bergfried rests directly on rock, has 2.50-meter-thick walls, and served as a prison and torture tower; its door is nine meters above ground. The only surviving living quarters, on the south side, now house a restaurant and innkeeper's flat. The 36-meter main tower, with five storeys and walls 2.5 meters thick up to the third floor, is climbable for views and contains a diorama and small museum. The Palas was rebuilt for the castle's 1000th anniversary in 1998 and is used for cultural purposes. The Jungfernturm has windows and machicolations for defence.

Hermann I, Pfalzgraf of Saxony and later Landgrave of Thuringia, built the Romanesque core of the present castle around 1200, with a ring wall, bergfried, palas ruin and gate. A document of 1066 issued by King Henry IV at Eckartsberga first attests a castle here, though excavations in 1901 found no remains of an earlier fortification on the hill. In 1247 Henry the Illustrious of Wettin captured the castle and used it as a base in the Thuringian succession war.

The name comes from the medieval figure of faithful Eckart, a character from old regional legends and tales. The story was so alive in people's minds that Goethe found inspiration here to write a ballad about it.

Access to the ruin requires good footing and caution, as parts of the structure are unstable and safety railings are absent in places. Visitors should check ahead of time, as the site is sometimes closed for maintenance work.

The 22-metre bergfried rests directly on the bedrock and held a prison and torture chamber; prisoners were lowered through an opening in its barrel vault. Its door sits nine metres above the ground, so entry was only possible by ladder. The larger 36-metre tower is climbable and holds a diorama and a small museum.