Tringenstein Castle (Ruin)

Tringenstein Castle is a castle ruin above the district of Tringenstein in the municipality of Siegbach in the Lahn-Dill district in Hesse.

In a document dated March 23, 1356, the new Tringenstein Castle is mentioned for the first time. It is probably identical with "Murstein" Castle, which is mentioned in a reconciliation document in 1352. This new castle was built in 1350/51 at the instigation of Countess Adelheid, widow of Count Otto II of Nassau-Dillenburg (House of Nassau), as a countermeasure to the new Hessian Neu-Dernbach Castle on Murstein Mountain. The castle hill was owned by the noble lords of Bicken, the Bicken zu Marburg-Wolkersdorf line. Together with the castle, the village of Tringenstein was founded.

Tringenstein Castle became the seat of the Nassau (court) office of Tringenstein, headed by an Amtmann, the counterpart to the directly adjacent Hessian office of Blankenstein, based at Blankenstein Castle near Gladenbach. Furthermore, the castle also served as a hunting lodge in the count's hunting grounds of the Schelderwald. Towards the end of the 15th century, Tringenstein Castle, after being expanded by Count Johann IV, was even temporarily a residence, among others, of Countess Elisabeth. At the beginning of the Thirty Years' War, the Counts of Dillenburg also resided here for a longer period. When the Tringenstein office was merged with the Ebersbach office in 1725, the last Tringenstein Amtmann moved his seat to Ebersbach. The castle was then uninhabited except for the castle servant and had no further function. After the Nassau-Dillenburg line died out in 1739, no one had any further interest in the castle. In 1773 and 1774, everything from the castle "that was exposed to robbery" was sold. The building stood empty and fell into disrepair. The lowest floor of the main house was demolished in 1839 due to the risk of collapse. After that, the castle was used as a quarry and gradually torn down.

Today, only a few wall remains and a model replica of the castle can be seen on the castle hill.