Schloss Lauterecken, Cultural heritage château in Lauterecken, Germany.

Schloss Lauterecken at Veldenzplatz 1 preserves the late Gothic Veldenzturm, the medieval perimeter walls, the cross-ribbed vaulted cellar and the facade of the Neuer Bau. The square tower on the southeast corner has a projecting upper storey above a pointed-arch frieze and a wall walk reached from the roof terrace. The main building was rebuilt as an Oberamtsgebäude in the mid-18th century.

A castle at Lauterecken existed in the Middle Ages within the Verdun estate of Medard; the castle with its Veldenz tower was first mentioned in 1343. In 1543 Rupert, Count Palatine, received Veldenz and Lauterecken by the Marburg Contract and made Lauterecken a residence town with a representative schloss. The Palatinate-Veldenz line died out in 1694, and after disputes Lauterecken passed to the Electoral Palatinate in 1733.

The blue Veldenz lion in Lauterecken's coat of arms still recalls the family, and after the House of Zweibrücken reached the Bavarian throne the lion was taken into the Bavarian state coat of arms. The bones of 15 members of the House of Palatinate-Veldenz rest in the Provost's Church on the nearby Remigiusberg. The castle now holds a registry office room, the Grafensaal hall and a small documentation on the Palatinate-Veldenz counts.

The site sits centrally in town and is easily reached on foot; the surroundings offer plenty of space to explore the exterior and courtyards. Access to interior rooms depends on current exhibitions and events, so check locally beforehand.

The Veldenz Tower on the southeast corner of the former square castle area is one of two surviving watchtowers facing the Lauter. Its upper storey juts out over a pointed-arch frieze, and every stone block there carries a mason's mark. A 13 to 18 metre wide moat fed by the Lauter once surrounded it and was filled in shortly after 1700.