Burg Neidstein, Medieval castle ruin in Etzelwang, Germany

Burg Neidstein is a medieval castle ruin on a hilltop with remaining defensive walls, an eastern gate, and a round tower on its western side. The structure has been repurposed over time with modern additions integrated into the historical stone foundations.

The castle was probably founded around 1100 by the Lords of Neidstein; a Neipert Nitstein is named in 1119 as a ministerialis of the Counts of Sulzbach. After the family died out in the late 13th century, the castle passed to Ludwig the Bavarian in 1326 and was pledged to Hans von Brandt on 10 February 1466. Duke Albrecht of Bavaria destroyed it in 1504 during the Landshut War of Succession, after which Jobst von Brandt built the new Schloss Neidstein, completed in 1513.

The name Neidstein comes from the family that founded the castle around 1100; a Neipert Nitstein is recorded in 1119 as a ministerialis of the Counts of Sulzbach. The site today pairs the few remaining ruins of the hilltop castle with the New Castle begun by Jobst von Brandt and finished in 1513, whose gate wall carries an inscribed stone dated 1513.

The site is accessible from outside and offers viewpoints of the surrounding landscape from the hilltop. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes since the ground is uneven and stairs on the grounds may be rough.

The ruin stands at 527.5 m on the Schlossberg directly behind Schloss Neidstein, and the Bavarian heritage register lists the hilltop castle remains as dating around 1050, earlier than the founding by the Lords of Neidstein around 1100. The register also records the site as a Bodendenkmal, D-3-6435-0148, protecting medieval and early modern archaeological layers.