Stromburg Castle

The Stromburg is a spur castle at 280 m above sea level on the edge of the Soonwald forest on an elongated mountain spur above Stromberg in the Hunsrück region, in the Rhineland-Palatinate district of Bad Kreuznach.

The Stromburg was home to the "German Michel" Hans Michael Elias von Obentraut, one of the most daring cavalry leaders of the Thirty Years' War, not to be confused with the satirical figure Deutscher Michel.

The Stromburg was probably built in the 11th century and was first documented in 1056, when Count Bertolf named himself after the Stromburg. In 1116, it was destroyed and rebuilt by Archbishop Adalbert I of Mainz. These early mentions probably refer to the "old Stromburg" on the Pfarrköpfchen (see Burg Pfarrköpfchen).

The first reliable mention of the Stromburg dates from 1287. Under its protection, the village of Stromberg developed in the Guldenbach valley, first mentioned in 1344.

During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was conquered several times and finally destroyed on March 3, 1689, during the War of the Palatine Succession. Of the castle complex, the shield wall, the keep, a mighty gate tower, and parts of the curtain wall and the zwinger are still preserved.

From 1977 to 1981, parts of the castle ruins were renovated and, with the addition of modern elements that now shape its appearance, converted for gastronomic use. After another renovation/expansion costing around eight million DM, the gourmet restaurant "Le Val d'Or" under the direction of Johann Lafer has been located in the building since 1994. In addition to the restaurant, the rustic Turmstube was set up as a second restaurant and the Stromburg Hotel in the building. Due to a change in concept, the Turmstube was renamed "Bistro d'Or" in 2010.