Kronenburg Castle Ruins

Kronenburg is a town in the German-Belgian border area of the Eifel and belongs to the North Rhine-Westphalian municipality of Dahlem in the Euskirchen district. It became known for its well-preserved medieval townscape, which is more than 400 years old. Kronenburg consists of the hilltop town of the same name and the valley settlement of Kronenburgerhütte.Kronenburg was first mentioned in 1277 in a document from the Imperial Abbey of Stablo-Malmedy. At that time, Kronenburg was ruled by the noble family of Dollendorf. From 1327, an independent Kronenburg line developed for a short time. When the knight Peter von Kronenburg finally died in 1414 without male descendants, Kronenburg became a subsidiary of the County of Blankenheim-Manderscheid.Under Charles V, Kronenburg fell under Spanish rule in 1555 because it belonged to the Duchy of Luxembourg until 1715. For this reason, the former Spanish island in the Eifel is still referred to as the "Spanish country". At the beginning of the 17th century, Kronenburg was hit by plague epidemics that lasted until 1680.In 1794 Kronenburg was occupied by the French, under whose rule the place functioned as the cantonal capital in the Ourthe department. Kronenburg remained a mayor's office and at times also the seat of a notary in the post-French period. In the course of the redivision of Central Europe after Napoleon's defeat, Kronenburg first came to the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz as an exclave and only to Prussia in 1819 through an exchange or an advance payment.On July 1, 1969, Kronenburg was incorporated into Dahlem; In 1977 the place celebrated the 700th anniversary of the first documented mention.Source: Wikipedia

The castle ruins are also very easy to reach by bike. Ride to the end of the road and then take the small gravel path up to the castle. From here you have a beautiful view of the Kronenburger Lake.