Balthasar Castle

Balthasar Castle, also known as Balthasarburg or Water Castle Rust, is a former moated castle and today a listed building in the municipality of Rust. It is located in the Europa-Park amusement park, which today is mainly situated on the castle's former park grounds.

The current complex consists of a rectangular, three-story Renaissance building with a half-hipped roof, on the east side of which there is an octagonal tower. The castle also includes two bay windows. Around the building is the so-called castle park, which was created by Europa-Park. Previously, the castle included a moat, fed by the nearby Junkerbach stream, and probably several farmsteads.

The castle was built in 1442 and used by the noble family Boecklin zu Boecklinsau, one of the oldest Strasbourg noble families. The castle acquired the name Balthasarburg around the year 1500 through the founders of a family estate contract. In the 1970s, the Mack family bought the large castle park from the municipality to establish an amusement park there, which was intended to serve as an exhibition ground for the rides of the family's own company, today Mack Rides. The amusement park opened on July 12, 1975, as Europa-Park. In 1977, the Mack family also acquired the castle itself, after it was agreed with the former owner that amusement park operations would be excluded on the grounds immediately in front of the castle. The Mack family renovated and rebuilt the castle in 1979 and 1980 until it was reopened and integrated into the amusement park. Since then, the so-called castle restaurant has been operated there, and more recently, evening events such as the Alemannic knight's feast are also held in the castle.