Burg Eberbach

Eberbach, Germany, Germany

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Burg Eberbach is a striking medieval castle ruin complex located about 160 meters above the town of Eberbach and the Neckar River in Baden‑Württemberg, roughly 30 km east of Heidelberg.

It actually consists of three separate spur castles—the Vorderburg (front castle), Mittelburg (middle castle), and Hinterburg (rear castle)—built between the late 12th and mid-13th centuries, with the Vorderburg first mentioned in 1196 and the Hinterburg completed around 1240 under King Henry VII. The castle passed to the Palatinate in 1330 and was pawned in 1402 to Knight Hans von Hirschhorn, who saw it as dangerous competition and had it completely demolished in 1403, leaving it in ruins for five centuries.

After changing hands under Napoleon and coming to the city of Eberbach in 1905, the ruins were excavated and partially rebuilt in the early 20th century and again in the 1950s–60s, and today the site is freely accessible to visitors who can hike up from the city or a nearby parking area to explore its Romanesque windows, massive 11×11 m bergfried (keep), cistern, and enjoy sweeping views over Eberbach and the Neckar Valley.