Veldenz Castle was built on a

spur A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...

above the village of

Nohfelden Nohfelden is a municipality in the district of Sankt Wendel, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated approximately north of Sankt Wendel, and southwest of Idar-Oberstein. It was formed during administrative reform in January 1974 from the merger o ...

Landkreis In all German states, except for the three city states, the primary administrative subdivision higher than a '' Gemeinde'' (municipality) is the (official term in all but two states) or (official term in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia ...

Sankt Wendel Sankt Wendel is a town in northeastern Saarland. It is situated on the river Blies 36 km northeast of Saarbrücken, the capital of Saarland, and is named after Saint Wendelin of Trier. According to a survey by the German Association for Ho ...

in the northeast of

Saarland The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and ...

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 ...

History

The

hill castle A hill castle or mountain castle is a castle built on a natural feature that stands above the surrounding terrain. It is a term derived from the German ''Höhenburg'' used in categorising castle sites by their topographical location. Hill castles a ...

is first mentioned in 1285, in a document stipulating that its builder, Count William Bossel II of Stein from Oberstein an der Nahe had to allow his liege lord, the Count of Veldenz to use the castle in case of war or a feud. The Dukes of Palatinate-Zweibrücken acquired the Lordship of Nohfelden, including Veldenz Castle, in the middle of the 15th century. The castle served in 1490 as the stage for one of the saddest chapters in the history of Palatinate-Zweibrücken: after the death of Duke Louis the Black, his sons

Kaspar Kaspar is a given name and surname which may refer to: Given name: * Kaspar, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken (1459 – c. 1527) * Kaspar Albrecht (1889–1970), Austrian architect and sculptor * Kaspar Amort (1612–1675), German painter * Caspa ...

and

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

ruled the duchy jointly for a year. Then Alexander had his older brother locked up in the castle, claiming that Kaspar was mad. Kaspar remained locked up in Veldenz castle until his death in 1527, even after Alexander's death. The castle was frequently damaged in the many wars of the 17th century, but was repaired equally often. In 1661, Duke

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

of Zweibrücken-Veldenz died at the castle. In 1804 the castle was nationalized by the French state, then sold off to the Cetto brothers from

. They used the castle as a source of building materials. The municipality of

is the current owner of the castle.

Grounds

The grounds of the castle are long. Most of the surrounding wall still stands. Houses have been built on the grounds. The basement has been made accessible to the public in 1971. It is about long and wide. The high keep of the castle still stands; the roof, however, is missing. The tower is accessible to the public from April to October. Guided tours can be arranged via the local tourist office.

References and sources

* Conrad Flesch: ''Burgen und Schlösser an der Saar'', Minerva Verlag, Saarbrücken, 1988. Ruined castles in Germany Castles in Saarland Buildings and structures in Sankt Wendel (district) {{Saarland-struct-stub