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Burgruine Geroldstein
Burgruine Geroldstein
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The ruins of Geroldstein Castle sit on a steep rocky outcrop above the Wisper River in the Rheingau-Taunus district. Built at the end of the 12th century and first mentioned in 1215 as “Gerardstein,” it served as the ancestral seat of the von Geroldstein family, who were closely associated with the powerful Counts of Katzenelnbogen and the Archbishopric of Mainz. The spur castle secured important communication routes and was protected on three sides by steep slopes; a neck ditch separated the fourth side from the mountain. The remains of the two-and-a-half-meter-thick shield wall, a small entrance gate, a rectangular tower, a heptagonal keep, and the foundations of another tower have been preserved. From 1390 onwards, Haneck Castle became the main residence of the family, which died out in the 16th century. Geroldstein had already fallen into disrepair by 1585. Today, the remains allow only limited conclusions to be drawn about the castle's size and original appearance, but they bear witness to the rise and influence of this family, which was once important in the region.