Visit a 13th century old Castle: The Ronneburg Castle

Categories: Family and Kids, Sightseeing, Cultural and History

The Ronneburg Castle in Ronneburg (Hesse / Hessen)

[ source: Restaurant Ronneburg]

Ronneburg (Ronneburg vacation rentals | Ronneburg travel guide) is the name of a town with a castle. Both have the same name and belong to the Main Kinzig Kreis in Hesse, Germany. The castle was built in the 13th century in the so called Ronnerburger Hügelland (the Ronnerburger Hill Country) and can be seen from all 3 villages that belong to the municipality: Neuwiedermuss, Altwiedermus and Hüttengesäss. It was built on a steep basalt cone overlooking the country side.

History of the castle

The castle and its surrounding towns were mentioned as early as 1231. The castles earlier name Raneburg and also Roneburg probably derive from the High German word Rone which means a fallen tree and could also be a reference to the castles attached palisades.

Through history the castel has been mortgaged off or sold by many nobilties, archbishops, knights until it came into the possession of Philipp von Ysenburg-Büdingen. He founded the Ysenberg-Büdingen-Ronneburg family, later called simply Ysingen-Ronneburg family. Under their rule, that castle took on the appearance that it has today. In 1621 though, a fire destroyed a large part of the castle and later in about 1633 the castle suffered due to a plundering by Croatian troops.

In June 2004 the castle was sold by Prince Wolfgang Ernst (Ernst vacation rentals | Ernst travel guide) II von Ysenburg-Büdingen to baron Joachim Benedikt von Herman auf Wain. Today it hosts a restaurant, museum, falconry centery, gift shop and regular medieval festivals (very popular around Christmas time). Daily tours with excellent views of Frankfurt (Frankfurt vacation rentals | Frankfurt travel guide) with its skyline and the surrounding areas are offered.

Other things to do in the area

The basalt rocks/cones surrounding the castle offer sites that are favorable to paragliding and other related activities. Nearby is a museum that features working Medieval catapults as well as other siege weapons. There is also a nearby falconry with falcons, owls, and other birds of prey to visit.

[ source: Wikipedia ]

Eating at the Ronneburg

Ronneburg has a beautiful restaurant that takes you back to medieval times while enjoying a variety of foods such as that are authentic to the area but also authentic to the dishes served in a castle. Buffets and Knight Menus are also offered for larger groups. The restaurant also features medieval dinners throughout the year with the next evenings scheduled for Sept. 15, Oct. 21, Nov. 18 and Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. Cost is 52 Euros per person. The castle restaurant is open Wednesday to Sunday starting at 11 a.m. Warm meals are served during those days from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. See links below for more details. You can reach the restaurant by phone for reservations and additional information: +49 (0) 6048-7130

Location, Map, and Driving Directions

Additional travel info

Ronneburg is near Büdingen, and can be conveniently reached from Autobahn A45.

Opening Hours

The castle is open daily except Mondays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 1 through Nov. 30. It is closed Dec. 1 to Feb. 28.

Ronneburg also offers a falconry exhibition featuring various hunting birds including falcons, hawks and owls. Shows are Tuesday to Friday and Sunday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., Saturdays at 3 and 5 p.m. For information about falconry and tours of Ronneburg call +49 (0) 6048-950 905.

Contact Information

Related Links

More Germany Travel Related Articles

• Royal Crystal-Thermae and Spa Gardens Schwangau
• Potsdam Night of Castles
• The Ruhr – European Capital of Culture 2010
• Radisson Blu Hotel AquaDom
• Rheingau Wine Festival
• Heidelberg, Germany's Oldest Town
• International Green Week In Berlin
• Nürnberger Christkindelsmarkt (Christmas Market in Nuremberg)
• Mozart Festival, Augsburg
• Oktoberfest 2011 Guide

Nearby Destinations Where You Can Find Nice Germany Vacation Rentals

Frankfurt

Frankfurt is the largest city in the state of Hesse, known for its futuristic skyline and international airport. A number of family outings make this an efficient, and unforgettable, vacation experience: Treat yourself to a spa-treatment at the nearby…

Related: Frankfurt travel guide

Darmstadt

Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland (federal state) of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area. The city of Darmstadt was founded by the Counts of Katzenelnbogen in 1330, though settlement in the area is known to have…

Related: Darmstadt travel guide

Wiesbaden

Wiesbaden is a city in southwestern Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 300,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 35,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the American military). Wiesbaden, together with the…

Related: Wiesbaden travel guide

Wetzlar

Wetzlar, in central Hesse, features an amazingly well-preserved and restored Old Town (Altstadt), with historic plazas, a 13th century Cathedral (Dom) and scores of half-timbered houses. Choose one of several vacation homes in the Old Town itself!

Related: Wetzlar travel guide

Mainz

Mainz is a city in Germany and the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It was a politically important seat of the Prince-elector of Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west…

Related: Mainz travel guide

Browse Related Photos (Interactive Slideshow)

The pictures shown are part of our Live Like a German Travel Guide to Germany group on Flickr. If you have great Germany pictures please consider joining that group and sharing them on Flickr. If you tag them with ronneburg (and they got approved) they will also show up in the slide show above.

Feedback, comments, questions?

If you have visited here please share your experiences with our readers on Facebook. Or, if you have other cool trip suggestions and would like to contribute a travel guide here, please drop me an email. We also are encouraging free-lancers, travel guide writers or publishers who have great Germany related content to send us an email and get in touch with us.