Karlsberg Castle, 18th-century château ruins on Buchenberg, Homburg, Germany.

Karlsberg Castle consists of ruins scattered across a hilltop in Homburg, once forming one of Europe's largest residential palace complexes built in the Classical style. The site reveals foundations and stone fragments from the original structures, while the Karlsberger Hof building stands as the sole complete surviving structure from that era.

Construction began in 1778 under Duke Charles II August, who commissioned prominent architect Johann Christian von Mannlich to design this grand residence project. French revolutionary forces destroyed the complex in 1793, just 15 years after its completion.

This location once served as the heart of princely court life, and remnants of that splendor remain visible in its surviving structures. Visitors walking through the grounds can sense the grandeur that defined this place.

The site connects to hiking trails that lead through the surrounding forest, offering different routes for exploring the hillside landscape. Sturdy footwear is advisable since the ground is uneven and forest paths can be muddy or slippery depending on the season.

The grounds once featured elaborate gardens that combined Baroque style with English landscape design, all planned by the celebrated gardener Johann Ludwig Petri. Today, visitors can still detect traces of these expansive gardens in the land contours, even though the decorative elements have vanished.

• Location: Homburg
• GPS coordinates: 49.33470,7.37889
• Latest update: December 8, 2025 13:43