The ruined castle of Güntersburg stands about southwest of

Güntersberge Güntersberge () is a village and a former town in Harz District, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It holds the status of an officially recognized resort town since 2001. Güntersberge, together with the other municipalities of the former ''Verwaltungs ...

in the

Harz The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

mountain range of central

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

.''Die Burgruine Güntersburg''
at www.harzlife.de. Accessed on 5 Dec 2010.

Condition

The ruins are located on the Kohlberg hill above the Selke valley. The castle site is very large and has an area of about . It probably included a fortified settlement, possibly preceding modern Güntersberge, beside the proper castle. To the northwest the site was protected by a

rampart Rampart may refer to: * Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement Rampart may also refer to: * "O'er the Ramparts We Watched" is a key line from "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the ...

and a long

ditch A ditch is a small to moderate divot created to channel water. A ditch can be used for drainage, to drain water from low-lying areas, alongside roadways or fields, or to channel water from a more distant source for plant irrigation. Ditches ar ...

, whose scale can still be easily made out today. To the southeast the site is bounded by the hillside that falls steeply into the Selke valley. Of the former buildings only a few foundation walls are recognisable. Still easy to make out are the foundation walls of the two gatehouse towers. Little is known of its history. The castle was probably built in the 11th century. First mentioned around 1326, the site was already recorded as devastated by about 1600. Among its former owners were the Lords of

Kneitlingen Kneitlingen is a municipality in the Wolfenbüttel district in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is part of the ''Samtgemeinde'' Elm-Asse. The most recent German census counted a population of just 853 people. Geography Kneitlingen is situ ...

and the

Counts of Stolberg The County of Stolberg (german: Grafschaft Stolberg) was a county of the Holy Roman Empire located in the Harz mountain range in present-day Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was ruled by a branch of the House of Stolberg. The town of Stolberg was pro ...

. According to legend, the castle was occupied by robber barons at last and one of their victims, the daughter of a merchant, is still supposed to appear as a white apparition today to those venturing near to the castle at night. The bunch of keys she carries with her was once supposed to had brought a curse on a monk.

References

Castles in Saxony-Anhalt Castles in the Harz Harzgerode Ruined castles in Germany {{SaxonyAnhalt-struct-stub