Wildenburg Castle () is a

ruin 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 ...

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

near

Kempfeld Kempfeld is an ''Ortsgemeinde (Germany), Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld (district), Birkenfeld Districts of Germany, district ...

in the county of

Birkenfeld Birkenfeld () is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld (district), Birkenfeld Districts of Germany, district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the Birkenfeld (Verbandsgemeinde), like-named ''Verbandsge ...

in the German state of

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) 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 sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...

Location

The ruins lie in the

Hunsrück The Hunsrück () is a long, triangular, pronounced mountain range, upland in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the valleys of the Moselle (river), Moselle-Saar (north-to-west), the Nahe (south), and the Rhine (east). It is continued ...

mountains between the

Idar Forest The Idar Forest (German: ''Idarwald'', Celtic language, Celtic: ''"id ar"'' - hill forest above the land) is part of the Hunsrück low mountain range in the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography The Idar Forest lies ...

to the north and the town of

Idar-Oberstein Idar-Oberstein () is a town in the Birkenfeld (district), Birkenfeld Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. As a ''Große kreisangehörige Stadt'' (large city belonging to a district), it assumes some of the respons ...

to the south at a height of about 630 metres above sea level (NN) on the Wildenburger Kopf above the valley of the Idarbach. It was the highest castle in the Hunsrück.

History

The predecessor of the Wildenburg was probably a Celtic refuge fort with double ramparts from the

La Tène period LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...

(ca. 450-50 B.C.). The Wildenburg rampart is one of a number of Celtic fortifications in southern Hunsrück between the

hillfort of Otzenhausen The Celtic hill fort of Otzenhausen is one of the biggest fortifications the Celts ever constructed. It was built by Gauls of the Treveri tribe, who lived in the region north of the fort. The fort is located on top of the ''Dollberg'', a hill near ...

, the Ringkopf, the Altburg and the Alteburg in Soonwaldsteig. A short section of the rampart has been reconstructed as a "Gallic Wall" ('' murus gallicus''). Around the year 350 A. D. a late Roman fort was established on the Wildenburg for a short time. In the

Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...

Wildenburg was built by the Wildgrafen family on the rocks at the western tip of the

circular rampart A circular rampart () is an embankment built in the shape of a circle that was used as part of the defences for a military fortification, hill fort or refuge, or was built for religious purposes or as a place of gathering. The period during which ...

. It was first mentioned in 1330 and was pillaged and destroyed by marauding troops from Lorraine in 1651. After being partially rebuilt in 1660, the lower ward of the castle acted as the administrative headquarters for the '' Amt'' of Wildenburg until the abolition of the county in the 1792.

Description

Of the upper bailey (''Oberburg'') that was built on rocks only a few wall remains have survived. However, in 1980, a 22-metre-high

observation tower An observation tower is a tower used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, and woo ...

was built on the top of the rocks that was opened in 1981. In 1859 the buildings of lower bailey (''Unterburg''), including the

gate tower A gate tower is a tower built over or next to a major gateway. Usually it is part of a medieval fortification. This may be a town or city wall, fortress, castle or castle chapel. The gate tower may be built as a twin tower on either side of a ...

, domestic buildings and

enceinte Enceinte (from Latin ''incinctus'' "girdled, surrounded") is a French term that refers to the "main defensive enclosure of a fortification". For a castle, this is the main defensive line of wall towers and curtain walls enclosing the positio ...

, were restored for the Prussian Forestry Commission. These buildings were further converted into the present-day castle cafe and headquarters of the Hunsrück Club.

References

''Die Wildenburg'' in
''Aussichtstürme auf dem Hunsrück''
hunsrueck-zeitung.com

Literature

* Alexander Thon, Stefan Ulrich und Achim Wendt: ''Burgen im Hunsrück und an der Nahe. "... wo trotzig noch ein mächtiger Thurm herabschaut.'' Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg, 2013, , pp. 160-163. * Hans Nortmann: ''"Wildenburg": Archäologischer Rundweg.'' In:

Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier The ''Rheinische Landesmuseum Trier'' is an archaeological museum in Trier, Germany. The collection stretches from prehistory through the Roman period, the Middle Ages to the Baroque era with a strong emphasis on the Roman past of Augusta Trevero ...

(publ.): ''Führer zu archäologischen Denkmälern des Trierer Landes.'' Trier, 2008, (''Schriftenreihe des Rheinischen Landesmuseums Trier 35'') pp. 128f.
U. Heidrich: ''Geschichte der Wildenburg und ihrer Umgebung.'' Bad Kreuznach, 1906.

External links

''Die Wildenburg bei Kempfeld''
private website: ''Kulturlandschaft Nahetal und Hunsrück''
All round view from the observation tower
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wildenburg Castle (Hunsruck) Castles in Rhineland-Palatinate Castles in the Hunsrück Buildings and structures in Birkenfeld (district)