Grebenstein Castle

Burg Grebenstein stands on a basalt cone 249 metres above sea level, rising 56 metres above the town of Grebenstein in northern Hesse. The Esse, a tributary of the Diemel, wraps around the base of the hill, giving the ruin a dramatic setting. First built in the 11th century, it was enlarged by Count Ludolf V of Dassel in the late 13th century to guard his lands. The castle’s history is tied to the power struggles between the Landgraves of Hesse and the Archbishops of Mainz. In 1297 it passed to the Hessian landgrave, who installed a series of named burgmannen including Tammo von Alnhausen and Johann Riedesel. By the 16th century it had lost its military role and served as a granary before being ruined in the Thirty Years War. Today the main palace still rises over thirteen metres, its walls nearly intact and three metres thick. Visitors climb a steel staircase to a viewing platform for wide views over Grebenstein’s old town and the surrounding forests. Below the hill lies a small Jewish cemetery, and footpaths lead up the slopes to the ruins.