Runkel Castle

Runkel Castle, a ruined hill castle from the High Middle Ages, is located in the city of Runkel in the Landkreis Limburg-Weilburg in the state of Hesse, Germany.LocationNestled in the valley of the Lahn River, the town and castle are, in a straight line, 3.75mi east of Limburg an der Lahn, 18.6mi southwest of Wetzlar and 37mi northwest of Frankfurt am Main. The hill fort is situated at 492ft above sea level and rises about 115ft to 131ft above the valley of the Lahn.HistoryAs the hill had already attracted the attention of the Celts, it is probable they gave it its name: “Run – kall”, the Celtic word for “rock mountain”. In 1159, a Sigfridus de Runkel was mentioned in the documents but the castle was built a little earlier by a man with the same name, probably on the orders of the Holy Roman Emperor, perhaps Frederick Barbarossa, to protect the strategic pass between Weilburg and the southern side of the region. At the time of the castle was built, there was just a ferry. The bridge was not built until the Late Middle Ages.