Burgruine Stolzeneck

Neunkirchen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, Germany

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Burgruine Stolzeneck is a romantic medieval hill castle ruin perched about 80 meters above the Neckar River near Neunkirchen (and the town of Eberbach) in Baden‑Württemberg, on a 215‑meter-high rocky spur at the mouth of a small wooded ravine.

It was probably built around 1200 as an imperial castle (Reichsburg) and first mentioned by name in 1268; in 1284 it became a fief of the Palatinate and was granted to various noble families over the next centuries. After the death of the last leaseholder in 1611, the castle and its associated village Krösselbach were abandoned and the ruin fell into oblivion until it was rediscovered, excavated, and secured in the 1960s.

The site consists of a forecourt, a Zwinger (outer defensive passage), and a main keep area, and its most striking feature is a massive shield wall (Schildmauer) 21 meters high and almost 3 meters thick, which is still climbable via an internal stone staircase to a rampart walk.

Today the ruins are freely accessible all year round, can be reached only on foot (best from hiking parking near Rockenau along the Neckarsteig long‑distance trail or forest paths), and offer romantic views over the Neckar Valley, making them a popular stop for hikers and castle enthusiasts.