The castle was probably built between 1190 and 1230 by the Counts of Katzenelnbogen.
From 1260 the castle served as a residence for the younger line of the Counts of Katzenelnbogen. Count John III. von Katzenelnbogen (1402–1444) had the castle extensively expanded around 1422. It is believed that the complex was destroyed or badly damaged at the beginning of the 15th century during clashes with the Counts of Nassau.
With the death of Philipp von Katzenelnbogen in 1479, the Counts of Katzenelnbogen died out in the male line. About the heiress Anna, who married the Landgrave Heinrich III. von Hessen-Marburg was married, the entire county of Katzenelnbogen and the castle came to Hesse.
Around 1604 Landgrave Moritz von Hessen-Kassel had the neglected complex restored. Around 1616 he often stayed at the castle. During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was set on fire and destroyed by troops from Lower Hesse in 1647. A planned reconstruction was omitted. The castle has been owned by the State of Hesse since 1949.
Above all, the outer late Gothic shield wall and the inner shield wall from the 13th century, each flanked by two towers, have been preserved. The former residential buildings, however, no longer exist. The remains of the Palas collapsed in 1864.
In the immediate vicinity are the ruins of Greifenstein Castle, whose defenses were probably integrated into those of Hohenstein Castle.
The majority of the facility is open to the public from April to September (as of 2020).[1] Both the keep and the battlements of the outer and inner shield wall can be accessed via narrow spiral staircases.
In 1968, the state of Hesse established a hotel and restaurant business in the castle. The gastronomic offer at the castle ended in 2015 with the termination of the lease agreement.[2] As a result, the castle complex was not open to the public until 2018.[3] In 2017 there were considerations of reviving the ailing tourism infrastructure.[4] These have not yet been implemented (as of 2020).
During the summer, the Taunusbühne Bad Schwalbach, an amateur theater club, organizes the "Hohenstein Castle Festival" on the open-air stage in the inner courtyard. A registry office is also set up in the castle.