Nollig Castle Ruin

The Nollig is the ruins of a habitable watchtower perched high on the mountain of the same name. The Rheinsteig leads right past the castle, the building itself is privately owned and cannot be visited. But even so, the Nollig is a beautiful photo motif.

The ruins of Nollig stand high above the city on the hill of the same name. This defense tower was built around 1300 as part of the city fortifications to secure the city down the Rhine. Investigations have shown that the tower was first erected as a three-storey half-timbered building, the foundation of which sat directly on the slate rock. To the north, the half-timbered building carried a battlement also made of wooden beams. Later, the tower was encased in a massive rubble stone wall and expanded with two rounded towers on either side of the wooden parapet walkway. In the western tower is the spiral staircase leading to the tower.
The city wall was originally supposed to reach up to the defense tower, but this was never implemented due to the smooth slate floor. However, the original size of the city wall can still be seen at the intended connection point at the tower: it was approx. 6 m wide and approx. 1.30 m thick.
Today the tower is privately owned and cannot be visited.
An exception was Heritage Day 2007, when the public was allowed access to the tower. Many guests and locals took the rare opportunity to hike up the Nollig to take a look at the old fortified tower.
The Nollig ruins can only be reached on foot via the Rheinsteig or the Rheinburgenweg. There is no access by car.

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The Nollig ruin (also called Nollich, Nollig, Nollicht, Nollingen and Nollen) is the ruin of a hilltop castle on a ridge, the "Nollig" or "Wachtenberg" at 176 m above sea level. NN, northwest of the city of Lorch on the Middle Rhine in the Rheingau-Taunus district in Hesse.

It was built around the beginning of the 14th century as a three-storey half-timbered building, but was sheathed and reinforced with a massive wall a little later. Towards the mountain it was secured by a neck ditch and a shield wall flanked by two round corner towers.

To this day it is controversial whether the tower was part of the local city fortifications. The shield wall, which continues to the side, at least suggests such an intention.

The building is privately owned and cannot be visited.