Burg Wachenbuchen

Burg Wachenbuchen stands in a damp meadow south-east of Wachenbuchen village, 108 metres above sea level. The remains lie under a small wood that shelters both the earthworks and local wildlife. Two hundred metres to the east the old Roman road from Hanau to Friedberg still passes the site. Historians agree the ruined motte was home to the lords of Buchen in the 12th century. The brothers Dammo and Siegebodo von Buchen appear in Mainz archbishop’s charters from 1122 onwards. By 1143 Dammo had moved his base to Hanau, yet the family’s name kept the village’s memory alive. Later the site served as a quarry, supplying stone to nearby farms. Visitors see a low grassy mound crowned by a stub of the old stone tower. A second, outer water-filled ditch still rings the whole earthwork. North-west of the tower lies the flatter area once filled with barns and stables. The trees hide the uneven ground left by centuries of digging and erosion.