Scharfenburg

The Scharfenburg is a ruined hilltop castle on the Scharfenberg, a steep-sided cone-shaped hill near Ruhla in Thüringen. It stands 396 metres above sea level, about 75 metres above the valley floor, and commands wide views over the surrounding countryside. A narrow path from the hamlet of Rögis leads up to the ruins, which include a restored keep used as an outlook tower. The castle first appears in a charter of 1137 when Hartung of Scharfenberg witnessed a grant to a hospital at Frauenbreitungen. In the 12th century the Fulda abbey funded its enlargement so the lords could control the valley roads. After the Thuringian War of Succession the fortress changed hands repeatedly, becoming a pawn in disputes among local knights and landgraves. By the 15th century the Uetterodt family held it for nearly four centuries, though the keep was already ruinous after a siege in 1446. Visitors walk the old ramparts and enter the keep through its Gothic gatehouse marked with the Uetterodt arms. Inside the tower a steel spiral stair climbs to an observation platform with panoramic views. Information boards and small finds explain the castle’s history, while a stage in the courtyard hosts summer concerts. The surrounding woods and the valley villages below complete the scene.