Großer Gudenberg Castle (Ruin) (Zierenberg)

The castle ruin Großer Gudenberg is located on the high Großer Gudenberg west of the core town of Zierenberg in the district of Kassel, North Hesse (Germany).

The castle ruin is located in the northern part of the Habichtswald Nature Park on the Großer Gudenberg, a densely forested basalt cone that rises almost 2 km west of Zierenberg and about 2.7 km east-southeast of its district Oberelsungen. East of the Großer Gudenberg, the terrain slopes down to the Warme valley. Approximately 470 m northwest is the castle ruin on the Kleiner Gudenberg, about 1.6 km south stands the Bärenbergturm on the Großer Bärenberg, about 2 km north is the castle ruin Falkenberg, and about 3.6 km north-northwest stands Escheberg Castle.

The castle was first mentioned in a document in 1209, but was probably built already during the time of the Hessian count Werner IV. It was a Mainz fief and in the possession of the Lords Groppe von Gudenberg and Wolff von Gudenberg. The castle was destroyed in 1269/1272 by troops of Landgrave Heinrich I of Hesse during his conflicts with the Archbishop of Mainz Werner von Eppstein.