The remains of the Castle can be visited
CastleHarztor-Ilfeld
Ilburg Castle
The Ilburg are today the remains of a hilltop castle on a mountain near Ilfeld in the northern part of the municipality of Harztor in the Nordhausen district. Only minor, mostly completely overgrown wall and foundation remains of the high medieval complex are still present today.
According to local tradition, the castle was built around 1150 by Elgerus de Bilstein, who subsequently called himself Count of Ilfeld. His successor, Adelger von Ilfeld, married Lutrude von Hohnstein around 1162. This couple founded the comital dynasty of Hohnstein.
Around 1180, as Elger II, he moved his residence to the neighboring Hohnstein Castle. The smaller Ilburg – probably having become insignificant militarily and as a fitting residence – was abandoned around 1189. Its stones were later reused in the construction of the Ilfeld Monastery, founded by the Counts of Hohnstein.
Construction+
The castle, built on a steep mountain cone towering over the village, consisted of the main castle, secured by a round keep, and an outer bailey, presumably filled with utility buildings. In the elevated and rectangularly walled courtyard of the main castle, which was roughly rectangular in shape, there was little space for residential buildings. The outer bailey, which only connected to the north and west and had another round tower at its western corner, was also completely secured by a defensive wall and the still recognizable, upstream ring ditch. Access to the castle was via a gate system presumed to be in the northeast.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image: Roland Neubert, Halle (Saale)
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 51.5799, 10.7849