Rheinstein Castle

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Rheinstein Castle is among the oldest castles on the Rhine. With its classic drawbridge, ivy-covered walls and splendid views of the Rhine, it is an example of Romanesque reconstruction.
Built on the ruins of the earlier Vautsberg or Fatzberg Castle, Rheinstein was the first castle to be ‘resurrected’ by Rhine Romanticism. The Hohenzollern Prince Friedrich Ludwig of Prussia acquired the castle in 1823 and changed its name to Rheinstein.

The original residential tower, dating back to the 13th or 14th century, was characterised by a u-shaped ring wall which opened onto the Rhine. To the south and west, a moat and a strong curtain wall protected the approach from the mountain slope. A high wall connected the residential tower to a watchtower above the valley. Fatzberg Castle, named after Saint Bonifatius, was probably built to lay siege to Reichenstein Castle (claimed for the Palatinate) by Archbishop Peter von Aspelt of Mainz (1306-1320).

The remains of the medieval castle were utilised in the reconstruction of 1825-1829. The residential tower was raised to four stories and a terrace built in front of the residence. In 1842, the Prince had an elaborate neo-Gothic chapel built outside of the original castle grounds. A short time later, the ‘Schweizerhaus’ (Swiss House) was built as a hunting lodge and guesthouse on this historical hill site above the castle.
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