The Ramburg is a

ruined Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

hill castle in the county of

Südliche Weinstraße Südliche Weinstraße ( pfl, Siedlischi Woischdrooß; en, "Southern Wine Route") is a district (''Kreis'') in the south of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from west clockwise) Südwestpfalz, Bad Dürkheim, the district-f ...

, in the German state of

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

Geography

The ruins of the Ramburg stand on the ''Schlossberg'' ("castle hill") at a height of above the village of Ramberg in the Palatinate region. The river Dernbach, the left-hand headstream of the Eisbach) flows through the valley. Other castle ruins in the vicinity are: Modeneck Castle (ca. 2 km east-northeast), Frankenfelsen Castle (ca. 2.5 km east-northeast) and

Neuscharfeneck Castle The castle of Neuscharfeneck is a ruin and a cultural monument above Ramberg and Dernbach on the territory of an exclave of Flemlingen in the district of Südliche Weinstraße in the west German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Location The ru ...

(ca. 2 km southeast).

History

The Ramburg was built in the 12th century under the

House of Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty ...

as an imperial castle for the protection of Trifels Castle. It is recorded as the seat of imperial '' ministeriales'' from 1163. In 1519, Hans of Ramburg, the last member of the House of Ramburg, sold his castle to the Dalbergs. Six years later the castle was completely razed during the

Peasants' War This is a chronological list of conflicts in which peasants played a significant role. Background The history of peasant wars spans over two thousand years. A variety of factors fueled the emergence of the peasant revolt phenomenon, including: ...

. In 1540 the ruins were sold to the counts of Löwenstein. After being totally destroyed by a lightning strike in 1560 it was rebuilt as a residential castle again. The castle was plundered during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

, but not destroyed. Until 1638 it remained occupied as district office (''Amtsitz''), but fell into increasing disrepair and was used as a quarry in the early 18th century. Ramburg-14-Palas-Schildmauer-2019-gje

Description

From the valley the impressive remains of the mighty

shield wall A shield wall ( or in Old English, in Old Norse) is a military formation that was common in ancient and medieval warfare. There were many slight variations of this formation, but the common factor was soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder ...

and the ''

palas A ''palas'' () is a German term for the imposing or prestigious building of a medieval ''Pfalz'' or castle that contained the great hall. Such buildings appeared during the Romanesque period (11th to 13th century) and, according to Thompson, ...

'' are still visible. In addition, a neck ditch, several wall remains and a huge rock cellar have survived.

Literature

* Rolf Übel: ''Ramburg, Meistersel, Frankenburg, bei Ramburg Kreis Südliche Weinstraße.'' Verlag für Burgenkunde und Pfalzforschung, Landau, 1999, (= Burgen der Südpfalz, Vol. 3) * Alexander Thon (ed.): „... wie eine gebannte, unnahbare Zauberburg“. Burgen in der Südpfalz, 2nd revised edition, Regensburg, 2005, pp. 128–131.

External links

{{commons category
Ramburg
- Website of the municipality of Ramberg
Panorama - view from the Ramburg of the Eußertal valley and surrounding area

Buildings and structures completed in the 11th century Rock castles Ruined castles in Germany Castles in Rhineland-Palatinate Buildings and structures in the Palatinate Forest Südliche Weinstraße