Löwenstein Castle

Löwenstein Castle, also known as Lewenstein, is the ruin of a medieval hilltop castle near Niedermoschel in the Donnersbergkreis district in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Of the former castle, only remnants of the palas remain today. The castle ruin's grounds are privately owned and used as pasture for livestock.

The castle was probably built around 1180 by Wolfram IV von Stein on behalf of his father Wolfram III. According to legend, the Lewensteiners mastered the art of metal divining, which is why the castle is associated with the silver mine in Niedermoschel, for which the castle may have served as protection.

On January 20, 1275, Emmerich and Wolfram von Löwenstein enfeoffed it to Count Heinrich von Veldenz for an annual rent of eight pounds. The Löwensteiners also became so-called "ledige Mannen" (unmarried men) of the County of Veldenz and committed themselves to defending their castles and houses. From this year on, the castle complex shares the history of the regional castle. The Counts of Veldenz gradually granted the Löwensteiners further fiefdoms, thus allowing them to exert influence over the entire North Palatinate region.

In 1279, Emercho III was the first Löwensteiner to inhabit Randegg Castle. In 1279, Emercho married Lutrade, the daughter of Wilhelm von Randegg, thus founding the line of the Löwenstein zu Randegg. This lineage includes Johannes Brenner von Löwenstein († 1537), Vicar General of the Prince-Bishopric of Speyer.

In 1525, the complex was damaged during the German Peasants' War. The subsequent Palatinate War of Succession then led to its final destruction by French troops in 1689.