Burg Neuenahr

The ruins of Neuenahr Castle stand on a basalt hill 337 metres above sea level in the lower Ahr valley. The hill is wrapped in a layer of greywacke, and on the eastern slope a quartz rock juts out. A deep artificial neck ditch cuts the hill on three sides, still reaching ten metres deep in places. The steep drop on the Ahr side once held the old approach road, giving the site a natural defence. In the 17th century most of the stone was taken away, but the foundations of the triangular curtain wall and a central rectangular tower remain. The castle was built about 1225 by Count Otto of Neuenahr and became the seat of the county. After his death his sons quarrelled over the inheritance, and in 1372 the Archbishop of Cologne ordered the fortress destroyed. The ruins were later used to build the Rentmeisterei at the foot of the hill. A round concrete viewing tower was erected in 1972, and an Eifelverein pavilion now shelters walkers. Visitors walk past the two large spoil heaps left by the old demolition. Inside the neck ditch the remains of walls and buildings lie scattered among the stones. From the top of the tower there is a wide view over the Ahr valley and the surrounding vineyards. The quartz rock on the eastern slope is still visible, a reminder of the site’s long history.