Altenbaumburg Castle

Altenbaumburg is the ruin of a spur castle on a ridge above the village of Altenbamberg in the Alsenz Valley, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is the ancestral castle of the Raugraves and one of the largest castle ruins in the Palatinate. Originally situated in a strategically favorable position in the Alsenz Valley, the complex lost its significance after its owners, the Raugraves, died out in the 14th century.

There is no information about the exact time of its construction. The commonly cited first mention of Altenbaumburg in 1129 is a forgery. Even a Count Emich von Baumburg, known since 1154, cannot be used with absolute certainty as proof for Altenbaumburg, as his surname could derive from a castle or a settlement. Since even the division of the Raugrave lineage into two different lines in 1214 provides no clarification in this regard, one can only refer to a document from 1253, in which a "New Castle" near the now vanished village of Sarlesheim is mentioned for the first time. This complex was the Neuenbaumburg, now called Neubamberg, which makes it clear that there must have been an Altenbaumburg at the latest by then.

By 1317, several owners could already be documented, which clearly indicates financial difficulties for the count's family. The privileging of the valley settlement with Oppenheim city rights and market rights by King Louis the Bavarian in 1320 did little to change their decline. Due to internal family inheritance disputes and financial problems, the Raugraves were forced from the mid-14th century to grant the Count Palatine of the Rhine and the Counts of Sponheim the right of access. In 1366, individual buildings, especially the entire middle castle, were pledged to the Palatine Counts, who managed to unite three-quarters of the castle in their hands by 1457. The remaining quarter came into the possession of the House of Palatinate-Simmern by indirect means at the same time. At the beginning of the 16th century, the Palatine Counts granted the castle as a Palatine and Palatinate-Simmern hereditary fief to various noble families, who sometimes appointed their own officials.

Apparently, parts of Altenbaumburg were already uninhabited and falling into disrepair by the end of the 15th century. In 1482, Schweikard VIII von Sickingen was allowed, with Palatine permission, to transport stones from there as building material for his new construction of Ebernburg. During the Thirty Years' War, Spanish and Swedish occupation troops were stationed in the remaining castle buildings in 1621 and 1631. In 1666, the castle was conquered by the Palatine Elector Karl I Ludwig in his campaign against Lorraine. A complete reconstruction or even just the maintenance of the existing buildings seems not to have taken place, as a written source in 1681 referred to the castle only as a ruin. The certainly still quite impressive buildings at that time were finally devastated in 1689 by French troops. A thorough renovation took place in the years from 1980 to 1986.