Château de Wasigenstein

Warning: Due to the danger posed by access to the building, entry to the castle is prohibited until further notice. Updated August 2026.
Two castle ruins stand on two rocky outcrops separated by a natural fault line that has been altered by human activity. To the east stands the Grand-Wasigenstein, built around the middle of the 13th century as an imperial castle, with its pentagonal keep; to the west, the Petit-Wasigenstein, built around 1299 by a branch of the Wasigenstein family, hence its proximity. The latter’s keep and shield wall face its neighbor, which it was not permitted to dominate. Upon the extinction of the Wasigenstein lines, around the middle of the 14th century, the castles passed through the hands of numerous owners over several centuries, including the Fleckensteins, the Hohenbourgs, the Ochsensteins, the Rambergs, and the Hanau-Lichtenbergs... They were destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War. Notable surviving features include staircases and rooms carved into the rock, windows with built-in benches, and the cistern...

Directions: In Niedersteinbach, follow the D 3 toward Obersteinbach, then the D 190 toward the hamlet of Wengelsbach until you reach the Klingelfels parking lot (a notable rock formation). From there, take the trail marked with a red rectangle (GR 53). It’s a 15-minute walk to the castle.