Burgruine Erfenstein

Erfenstein Castle undoubtedly belongs to the oldest castle complexes in the Palatinate Forest area. A specific year of construction is unknown, but it is believed, as Ingo Toussaint assumes, to be sought before 1180. Before 1193, the Staufer Conrad of Swabia granted Erfenstein to the imperial ministerial Werner II von Bolanden, who in turn handed over the castle to his vassals, the castle men Meinhard von Dürkheim, his brother Adelgar, and Egeno. At that time, Meinhard had been entrusted with the care of the specifically mentioned castle tower. In the mid-13th century, the knight Hurno succeeded as the sole owner, and – probably later – Heinrich, the son of Wilderich, became a co-owner.
Only during the time of Werner II is the suzerainty of the Staufer (of the Empire?) documented. Subsequently, the castle came into Leiningen hands. Ingo Toussaint assumes the acquisition occurred after 1237, as the Erfenstein was not mentioned in the (famous) partition agreement between the counts of Leiningen concluded in that year. From this, Toussaint concludes that only after this did the descendants of Werner II von Bolanden transfer the castle to the Leiningens at the end of the 13th century, "as compensation for a re-leased fief," ultimately acquiring the lordship of the fief through this means. Since that time, Leiningen ministerials have inhabited, administered, and farmed Erfenstein and named themselves after the castle.
At the beginning of the 14th century, there were (intra-family) changes in the suzerainty, as the half-brothers Count Friedrich V and Count Gottfried/Jofried of Leiningen agreed at a renewed Leiningen partition around 1317/1318 that Erfenstein should fall to Jofried. The castle remained with the founder of the Leiningen-Hardenburg line until 1345 and then passed to Leiningen-Rixingen.

After the French Revolution, the castle became state property. In the first half of the 19th century, August Becker reports that gypsies made the then largely preserved keep accessible by breaking away the lower stone tiers and inhabited it. Before 1892, the first stabilization measure took place: The then-owners of the ruin, the Bürklin-Wolf family from Wachenheim, had a square pillar, one meter thick, built under the rock platform as support. Further renovations followed in the 1970s of the 20th century.

Castle peace and castle peace area:
No peace contracts are documented. In 1380, the village and the court of Esthal with forests, water, and meadows are mentioned as accessories of the castle.

The site of the two castles Erfenstein is an eastern foothill of the Wasserstein mountains. Old Erfenstein, the "Old Castle," is the higher of the two distinctly separated structures. The younger castle, which could therefore be referred to as New Erfenstein, was built on and around a long, lower rock bar.

For more information, please visit: www.kuladig.de/Objektansicht/KLD-290018  

A leather bridge is said, according to legend, to have once connected Erfenstein Castle with the opposite Spangenberg Castle.

Copyright notice: The content presented here is protected by copyright. The displayed media may be subject to additional copyright conditions, which are indicated. Recommended citation: “Ruins of Erfenstein Castle in the Elmstein Valley.” In: KuLaDig, Culture.Landscape.Digital. URL: https://www.kuladig.de/Objektansicht/KLD-290018 (Retrieved: April 21, 2021)

Opening times

The Erfenstein Castle Ruins can be reached year-round via the hiking trail marking of the "Three Castles Path"