Starkenburg Castle

The Starkenburg is the ruin of a spur castle at 365 m above sea level, whose wall remains are located in the present-day Rhineland-Palatinate municipality of Starkenburg.

Until around 1350, the castle was the seat of the rear County of Sponheim. Count Gottfried III of Sponheim is said to have already resided at the castle. After the construction of the Grevenburg, the Starkenburg was administered by burgmannen. In the 16th century, the castle was used by the Palatine Sponheim co-lords; for example, Count Palatine Johann I of Simmern was born there in 1459 and died there in 1509, and the "Starkenburg Castle" also served as the dower house for his wife Countess Johanna of Nassau-Saarbrücken, who also died in Starkenburg in 1521. Over the centuries, the Starkenburg gradually fell into disrepair. The castle lay on the border of the parishes of Enkirch and Traben, and thus there were also two feudal lords. The Enkirch part is mentioned in 1197 as a Kurtrier fief, the Traben part was granted as a fief by Corvey Abbey until 1359.