Rodenstein Castle

Wagner's drawing from 1634 gives a good impression of a densely built late medieval ganerbenburg (jointly inherited castle). The artist's position was probably on the current road to Laudenau. At the now wooded spot, there is an information board with Wagner's view of the castle. On the right side of the picture, the well-preserved mill tower can be seen. It has a half-timbered upper floor with a steeply hipped roof. The chimney on it suggests that the upper room inside may have served as the tower watchman's dwelling.

The newer gate in the northwest of the castle, which replaced the mill tower as a gate system, can be seen to the left of the mill tower. The access was via a covered wooden bridge in front of it. Behind the gate rises a massive residential building compared to the overall complex. This is the younger palas from the 14th century (stone floor), in whose upper floor the lord's dwelling was located. At the height of this floor, there is a half-timbered oriel on two supporting timbers. Numerous dormer windows, a chimney, and a weather vane can be seen on the roof. A faintly indicated wavy line below the windows on the upper floor could suggest a round arch frieze. The building adjoining the residential building on the left with its eaves side is likely to be identified as the kitchen building, which in turn adjoins the older palas on the left. Two oriels projecting far into the Zwinger (outer bailey) area could have been used as latrine oriels.

A smaller building, visible in front of the large residential complex of the main castle and projecting into the Zwinger, cannot be identified. On the left side of the picture, part of the Zwinger wall can be seen, and on the far left, the northeastern flanking tower of the Zwinger fortification. The castle is additionally surrounded by a palisade fence, possibly an indication of agriculture practiced here. A division deed from 1624 also mentions vineyards at the castle. In front of the castle, a large roof of an outbuilding is still visible, possibly a barn.

The castle is a typical hillside castle. The core complex was a rectangular building with rounded corners, with the southwest side reinforced like a shield wall towards the hillside. In the northern corner of the main castle is the former first palas. A second was added in the 14th century. The complex had no keep.

The inner castle complex was surrounded by a ring wall with several towers. A bricked-up gate can be seen on the outside of the mill tower. Apparently, the entrance was only later moved from the mountain side to the valley side, where the current gate with access is located. In the 16th century, further parts of the ring wall and a Zwinger (outer bailey) were added in the south of the complex.

In the 20th century, the ruin was restoratively secured and brought to its current state.

Below the castle is the Rodenstein manor, an older half-timbered building that was rebuilt after a fire in 1910. The stone with the year 1593 above the portal originally came from the castle. The manor houses a restaurant.

The legend of the Rodensteiner, also known as the Schnellertsgeist, is associated with Rodenstein Castle and the noble family, as well as the neighboring Schnellerts Castle. He was cursed to rise from his grave and warn people when war threatened to break out. The poets Joseph Victor von Scheffel and Werner Bergengruen immortalized the ruin in literary works.

About 750 m southwest of Rodenstein Castle is the Wildweibchenstein, a rock formation to which several legends are also attached.