Top 20 Castles in the Taunus

The Falkenstein castle ruins (historically also called Neu-Falkenstein) are located at an altitude of around 450 meters in the Falkenstein district of Königstein in the Taunus region. It is considered a striking landmark, visible from afar, and boasts a turbulent history. The fortress was built in the mid-14th century by the Lords of Bolanden-Falkenstein immediately next to the older foundations of Nürings Castle and was first mentioned in a document in 1364. After a rapid succession of various noble families – including the Counts of Nassau and Cronberg – the complex underwent a comprehensive modernization phase around the year 1500. During this time, modern defensive structures, two cannon towers, and the 18-meter-high keep, preserved to this day in the distinctive "butter barrel" style, were erected. After the Thirty Years' War, the fortification gradually lost its strategic importance. From around 1780 onwards, it was finally abandoned and gradually fell into ruin, as parts of the buildings were used as a quarry. The deliberate demolition of the historic walls could only be stopped in 1842. Since 1945, the protected area has been owned by the municipality (now the town of Königstein) and has since been continuously maintained and renovated with significant financial commitment from the local historical society. Today, the castle's elevated core is a popular excursion destination, offering visitors during the opening months (March to October) an impressive panoramic view over the Rhine-Main plain and the Taunus.

From Falkenstein Castle you have an impressive view of Frankfurt. On a clear day, the view extends to the skyline and far into the surrounding area. A worthwhile stop on the hike.

The first documented mention of the hilltop castle dates back to 1213, when the Imperial Abbey of Kornelimünster near Aachen appointed Philipp III von Bolanden as "castellanus" and governor. Experts partly doubt or reject the first conquest in 1253. What is certain is the siege, conquest and destruction by King Rudolph of Habsburg in 1282. The castle was banned from being rebuilt. From 1290 onwards, the ruins were owned by the Counts Palatine, who gave them up in favour of the Electorate of Mainz in 1344. A new building was then quickly constructed. A double ring wall enclosed a rectangular residential tower and an inner courtyard of the main castle. A forecourt was located to the north. In 1397, after the Pope had appointed John II of Nassau Archbishop of Mainz, ignoring the election of the Mainz Cathedral Chapter the previous year, Archbishop Gottfried von Leiningen, elected in 1396, barricaded himself in the castle. Only after tough negotiations did he give up the bishop's seat and was instead given the office of provost of Mainz Cathedral. His concession prevented another attack on the castle and possible further destruction. The castle had been left to decay since the 16th century. The remains were blown up in 1689 during the War of the Palatinate Succession. In 1834 Franz Wilhelm von Barfus bought the ruins and converted a tower into his residence. His heirs sold the castle to Baron von Rehfuß in 1877 and he sold it to Consul Chosodowsky in 1889. The castle was given its current appearance by Baron Nikolaus von Kirsch-Puricelli, a wealthy industrialist and owner of the Rheinböllerhütte. From 1899 to 1902, Kirsch-Puricelli had the castle rebuilt into a neo-Gothic residential castle in the Tudor style according to plans by the Regensburg architect Strebel. Additional residential buildings and an observation tower were built on the site of the outer castle. Reichenstein was the last castle in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley to be rebuilt in the spirit of Rhine Romanticism. After the castle was sold by the family in the 1990s, media entrepreneur Lambert Lensing-Wolff, a descendant of the Kirsch-Puricelli family, acquired Reichenstein Castle in 2014 as a weekend residence and also runs a museum and a hotel with a restaurant here.

Monster view not only of the skyline of Mainhattan!!!

The Lahn rises at the Lahntopf near Lahnhof in the southeastern Rothaar Mountains at an altitude of 625 m and flows into the Rhine in Lahnstein at an altitude of about 69 m at Rhine kilometer 585.7. The right or eastern tributary of the Rhine has a length of 245.6 km.

Stolzenfels Castle is a feast for the eyes.

A visit to this new palace and its gardens is also well worth it.

Beautiful view from the bike path up to the castle