Liebeneck Castle

Pforzheim, Germany, Germany

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Liebeneck Castle is a high medieval spur castle ruin located in the Hagenschieß forest southeast of Würm, a district of Pforzheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, perched on heights above the Würm River valley at 415 meters elevation.

Originally built in the 12th century during the Staufer period, the castle was first documented in 1236 when the Lords of Weißenstein transferred it along with the village of Würm to Margrave Rudolph I of Baden. The castle was constructed to protect a rafting toll station on the river and later served as a residence for the Margraves of Baden from 1441 to 1499, reflecting the regional nobility's influence in medieval Baden-Württemberg.

During the Orleans War in 1692, the castle was deliberately razed by authorities to prevent unauthorized people from using it as shelter. Today, the ruins feature a 30-meter-high bergfried (tower), surrounding defensive walls, a double pentagonal enceinte with foreworks and zwingers, and an information board detailing its construction and layout.