Rock formation and castle ruins Rheingrafenstein
Mit der Fähre zur Burg - das Felsennest Rheingrafenstein hoch über der Bad Münster am Stein
Be sure to take the ferry! Even the view from the landing stage at the spa gardens in Bad Münster am Stein, just behind the spa center, is enchanting. Only at second glance does the observer discover the remains of Rheingrafenstein Castle on the striking rocky outcrop, clinging to the rock like a swallow's nest. The ferry takes hikers from the spa gardens of Bad Münster am Stein to the other bank of the Nahe river – to the Huttental valley. From there, a winding path leads to the Rheingrafenstein ruins. On the way up, the knowledgeable eye will spot outcrops in the mountain, small tunnels, and traces of excavations. These are the remains of mercury and copper mining, which was carried out here in the Middle Ages and modern times and was at times a good source of income. At an altitude of 245 meters, on a rocky outcrop that rises 135 meters, lie the few remains of the Rheingrafenstein ruins. It was once the ancestral castle of the Rheingrafen. A castle is said to have been built here by the Lords of Stein as early as 1100. They rose to become the lords of the Rheingau, which they inherited through marriage, and from then on called themselves the Rheingrafen. In the war with the Archbishop of Mainz, they lost their possessions on the Rhine in 1279, but retained their name – and this castle. Until the end of the 18th century, the castle was part of a small county – the last representative, Count Magnus, ended up in fraudulent bankruptcy and lost his estates, which his heirs – the Princes of Salm-Salm – later bought back. They are still the owners of the ruins today. The castle was conquered several times during the Thirty Years' War and destroyed in 1689 by the troops of Louis XIV, the Sun King. Parts of the curtain wall, stairs to the residential tower, and the foundation walls of the stair tower remain from the castle. Another staircase leads through a rock to a viewing platform. You have to climb it to enjoy the view of the Nahe Valley and the town of Bad Münster am Stein-Ebernburg and across to Ebernburg Castle. A view that amazes and enchants: the Nahe region is so romantic, so beautiful
