Ranschbach Roman Trail

The trail continues into the forest and on to the next stop! At the Kolpinghütte, you can refuel before continuing your hike. The menu features typical Palatinate delicacies. Be sure to check the opening hours before your trip, though—some huts in the Palatinate Forest are only open on weekends or on specific days.

Now we’ll head back into the vineyards for a short while, past the “Tree of the Year” installation, and before you know it, you’ll find yourself at the Zollstock. In the past, a trade route ran between the Hohenberg and Föhrlenberg. This is where the territories of the Electoral Palatinate (Birkweiler), the Diocese of Speyer (Ranschbach), and the Duchy of Zweibrücken converged, which is why a customs station was established here around 1786. After the French Revolution and the dissolution of these territories in 1789, the customs station was also shut down. It’s definitely worth taking a short break here: either at the Woodstop shelter or in the chestnut-wood hammocks.

The trail continues through the forest, climbing gently but steadily, to the Ahlmühle parking lot. This is where the castle exploration begins! Follow the signposts toward “Burg Trifels” and “Ruine Scharfenberg/Münz.” Be sure to take a short detour to the Scharfenberg/Münz and Anebos castle ruins. Although nothing more than a rock remains of Anebos, the view of Trifels Castle—which you’ll reach shortly afterward—is definitely worth the detour!

From the Schlossäcker parking lot, a steep path leads you up to Trifels Imperial Castle. Here, too, it’s worth taking a moment to look around and take in the view. The castle was an important imperial fortress during the reign of the Staufer emperors and also housed the treasury of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. You can still marvel at replicas of the imperial regalia there. In the exhibition, you can learn even more interesting facts about the castle—for example, how it came to be that Richard the Lionheart, the English king at the time, was imprisoned at Trifels Castle from 1193 to 1194!

Back at the Schlossäcker parking lot, you’ll complete the loop around the trio of castles—Trifels, Anebos, and Münz—and arrive back at the Ahlmühle parking lot. One last time, you’ll head uphill to the highest point of the tour: the Wettereck. From here, you’ll look back once more at the trio of castles. And as you make your way leisurely downhill, still reflecting on what you’ve seen and experienced, you’ll find yourself once again at the next highlight and the next castle ruin. You can only imagine what the former castle once looked like—not much of it remains. But the climb up to the Neukastel castle ruins via the metal ladder (not for the faint of heart or those afraid of heights!) will take your breath away once more: The view stretches far across the vineyard landscape and the small wine-growing villages. And now the castle’s location also seems entirely logical. Neukastel Castle was likely built in the early 12th century to protect the entrance to the valley leading toward Trifels Castle, since enemies could be spotted approaching from a great distance.

The trail now leads you steeply downhill along a narrow path to the Slevogthof, the former home of one of Germany’s most important Impressionist painters, Max Slevogt. Behind the striking building with its white crenellated tower, the trail continues to the picnic area at Kammertwingert, right on the edge of the forest. Here you can relax once more and enjoy the view before heading back through the vineyards to Ranschbach and your starting point.