Rheingrafenstein Castle

Rheingrafenstein Castle stands in Bad Kreuznach, Germany, and was erected by the Counts of Nahegau of the Emichones family.

Construction likely began in the 11th or 12th century on a porphyry outcrop that, a thousand years ago, carried the name Huhinstein. The stronghold became the ancestral seat of the Lords of Stein; that family later took the names Wildgraves and Rhinegraves and kept possession of the hilltop estate until the upheavals of the French Revolution. Members of the Lords of Stein are recorded in the 12th century, while the castle itself is first clearly mentioned in records of the 13th century.

In 1196 a member of the family, Wolfram of Stein, adopted the title Rhinegrave, and that title became associated with the castle. Following the 1279 Battle of Sprendlingen, Siegfried II forfeited his lands on the right bank to the Archbishop of Mainz. He transferred his residence to the rock and began referring to the site as Rheingrafenstein.

Through marriages in the 14th and 15th centuries the Rhinegraves added the Wildgraviate and one half of the County of Salm to their possessions. A distinct Rheingrafenstein branch of the family was established in 1610. During the Thirty Years’ War the castle passed into foreign hands at times; historical records note captures by Spanish forces and by Swedish forces. French troops commanded by General Mélac destroyed the fortress in 1688–1689. In 1721 parts of the ruined site were incorporated into a salt works, the last resident princely household moved its seat to Gaugrehweiler, and descendants repurchased the ruined property from the municipality in 1835.