Burg Elnhausen

Burg Elnhausen stands in the Marburg district of Elnhausen, on a gentle slope at the edge of the village. It was a small medieval water fortress built in the 13th century by the local noble family von Elnhausen. The site sits at 225 metres above sea level on the lower slope of the Stöckelsberg, surrounded by a wide defensive ditch. Over time the castle passed through several noble families, including the von Weitershausen and the Schenk zu Schweinsberg. By the 17th century it had fallen into disrepair after wartime destruction.

The most notable owner was Hermann von Vultejus, a high-ranking Hessian official who bought the ruined property in 1672. Between 1707 and 1717 he replaced the old castle with a new baroque manor house in French style. The new complex formed a nearly square courtyard, with the residence on the west side and stables and barns on the other three sides. All that remains of the medieval fortress today is a section of the old moat on the southern edge of the estate.

Visitors walk past the 18th-century manor house and its former farm buildings. The moat still traces the outline of the vanished castle, offering a clear view of where the walls once stood. The surrounding fields and orchards stretch towards the wooded slopes of the Stöckelsberg. From the site there are wide views over the Marburg countryside. The contrast between the medieval ditch and the elegant baroque manor shows how the place has changed across seven centuries.