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Rheinstein Castle
It’s one of the
oldest, smallest and most picturesque castles on the Rhine.
Originally
a customs post for the German Empire, Burg Rheinstein was built roughly
1100 years
ago on a sheer rock cliff rising 270 feet (83 meters) above the river.
Directly across the river from it is Assmannshausen, a
district of Rüdesheim
(although the castle was built two centuries before the first known
mention of Assmannshausen in 1108).
For a short period of
time in the
late 13th century, Rheinstein was the home of the Holy Roman Emperor,
Rudolph von
Habsburg. It was at the Rheinstein castle that he decreed a death
sentence upon Philip
von
Hohenfels, outlaw proprietor of the nearby Reichenstein
castle.
Today, Burg
Rheinstein is privately owned but
accessible year-round to visitors for
a nominal entrance fee. There is a café offering pastries,
coffee and a variety of Rhine wines. It’s open from the end of March
through the end of October.
More on Burg
Rheinstein can be found here.
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Rheinstein
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Burg Rheinstein is perched dramatically atop a rock outcropping above the Rhine.