Birkenfeld Castle Ruin

The Burgruine Birkenfeld stands on a narrow ridge 450 metres high above the Bode river near Rübeland in the Harz mountains. The spur of rock on which it was built juts westwards, giving the ruin a dramatic setting. Its walls were made from local Iberger limestone cut into blocks and laid in straight courses. Archaeologists have found large hollow tiles, so the roofs were probably tiled rather than thatched. The builders chose this rock because it was already a natural defence. The castle was raised in the 12th century to protect nearby ironworks and watch the Bodfelder Forest boundary. It belonged to the bishops of Halberstadt and was later held by the feared lords of Berckefeldt. In 1361 Bishop Ludwig appointed the brothers Heisin and Dytherich von Barkinvelde as castellans on his nearby Königshof. By the early 14th century the castle had been destroyed, probably during the feud between Landgrave Friedrich III and Duke Albrecht I of Brunswick-Grubenhagen. Merian’s 1654 engraving shows it already in ruins. Visitors today see the remains of the upper ward’s square keep, its walls still standing to a height of 1.65 metres. The keep’s foundations sit on a ledge five metres above the lower ward, which was reached by a rock-cut stair. Part of the surrounding ring wall survives, and the neck ditch on the west side is still visible. The lower ward and outer ward have been levelled and are now used as a rifle range. Below the ridge, an outer ditch once guarded the approach. The view from the ridge takes in the valley and the surrounding Harz peaks.