Burg Randeck

Burg Randeck stands on Schlossberg, a low hill rising 263 metres above the Alsenz valley near the wine village of Mannweiler-Cölln. The castle was the home of the lords of Randeck from the 12th century until the 17th. Its first written mention comes from 1202, naming Henry of Randeck. The family produced bishops and cathedral deans, including Eberhard of Randeck who died in 1372. After the Randecks died out, the castle passed to the Teutonic Knights and later to the chancellor of Electoral Mainz.

The castle’s working life ended in 1690 when French troops stormed and blew it up during the War of the Palatine Succession. Some buildings were patched up afterwards, but by 1844 the ruins were sold and partly dismantled for building materials. Today the hilltop holds only fragments: sections of the outer wall, a corner tower, two flanking towers and the foundations of the great keep. The Cultural History Society of Mannweiler-Cölln owns the site and keeps the remains in order.

Visitors walk among grassy mounds and low stone walls that mark the castle’s plan. The hilltop offers wide views across vineyards and the Alsenz valley. A short climb from the village brings walkers to the quiet ruins, where the surviving towers frame the sky. The site is small but gives a clear sense of the medieval fortress and its later history.