Steinenschloss Castle

Steinenschloss Castle, locally known as Burg Steinenschloss, lies in the forest east of the village of Thaleischweiler-Fröschen, in the Rhineland-Palatinate region in Germany.

Not much is known about Steinenschloss Castle. Not even its original name. It got its name from a hamlet by the name of Steinen which existed below the castle hill in the 13th century. At that time it was already a ruin.

Comparative analysis show that it was probably built around 1100. Its builders may have been the Counts of Leiningen. A Roman villa about a kilometer away may have served as a source of building material for the castle complex.

The round keep was added to the castle between 1125 and 1166. At that time it was probably one of the largest keeps in the area. Some years after its completion however, the castle was destroyed by fire. It may have been one of the 3 unnamed castles which the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick Barbarossa, ordered to have slighted besides Saarbrücken Castle in 1168. Steinenschloss Castle was never rebuilt after that.

The castle ruin was used as a quarry by the locals during the 19th century.

At present Steinenschloss Castle can freely be visited. A nice ruin with a secluded feel about it, even though its proximity to regional roads. But beware of the insects there; they bite...

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