アイヒシュトルートの洞窟・トップ14

There are plenty of places to sit at Altenstein Castle. 👍

Not only ancient history has left its mark on Altenstein Castle, but also the division of Germany. The ensemble is quite interesting.

A short detour to the Greifenstein Castle ruins is definitely worthwhile. However, there's no long-distance view from up here.

Not much is known about Greifestein Castle, neither who inhabited it, nor who built it, nor when. What is known, however, is that it probably belonged to a robber baron, leading to its capture by a civilian army. The Diocese of Mainz finally had it rebuilt in 1397 and secured the nearby border with Hesse, as border disputes arose repeatedly. It wasn't until 1583 that a firm agreement was reached on the current borders, and the castle slowly fell into obscurity. On the castle hill, there are still a cellar vault and the keep.

If you leave BSA on the cycle path heading south, you will have a wonderful view of the opening Werra Valley with the Werra and Rothestein Castle perched on the hill.

always a beautiful view

The foundation walls are still standing... Nice place for a snack with a view of Hessian Switzerland.

Until 1945, the area around Altenstein Castle belonged to the Hessian state forest of Allendorf and then came to the Thuringian district of Eichsfeld as a result of the Wanfried Agreement through an exchange of territories. Until 1954 the castle was still used as a dwelling for the forester, after that for a few years as a children's holiday camp. In 1973 the castle complex was blown up as part of border security measures on the Inner German border. The area close to the border was no longer accessible to the population until the end of 1989.