Wildburg Castle

The Wildburg is the ruin of a medieval hilltop castle on the Wildburghöhe in the Soonwald, near Sargenroth in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany).

The castle is presumably an Imperial Castle, which was built for the protection and administration of the surrounding Imperial territories. It was occupied by Imperial Ministeriales, who increasingly gained more independence. Especially the Lords of Wiltburg played a major role and had their ancestral seat at the castle from the 13th to the 15th century. Already in 1286, several owners appear in documents, thus it was a Ganerbenburg (castle with multiple co-owners). Over time, besides the Lords of Wiltberg (in several lines), the Lords of Metzenhausen, the Lords of Sabershausen, and the Lords of Buch appeared as co-owners. By 1486, the Palatine Counts acquired all shares of the castle. Already in 1410, the then shares were assigned to the new Duchy of Palatinate-Simmern. In the 17th century, the castle increasingly fell into disrepair; in the 18th century, it is described as completely ruined and uninhabited.