Burg Heckholzhausen

The ruins of Burg Heckholzhausen stand on a spur above the village of Heckholzhausen in the Limburg-Weilburg district. Built in the 13th century by the low-ranking family von Holzhausen, it later passed to the Schütz von Holzhausen line. By the late 16th century the stronghold had fallen into ruin, and by 1599 it was recorded as a heap of stones. The family once served as castle-keepers on Burg Merenberg under the name Schütz von Merenberg. They held offices in towns such as Driedorf, Runkel and Merenberg. Historians Rudolf Knappe and Christian Daniel Vogel mention the site in their works on medieval Hessian fortifications. Today the earthworks and scattered masonry mark the former site. Visitors walk over the gentle slopes where the walls once rose. The quiet fields around Heckholzhausen stretch towards the Lahn valley.