The castle was first documented in 1116 in the Pegau Annals in connection with the disputes between Henry V and the Saxon princes, probably as an imperial castle, when Henry of Meissen wanted to seek safety in the castle. It may have been destroyed for the first time in 1118 together with the nearby Reichsburg Kyffhausen.
At an unknown point in time, the castle seems to have come into the possession of the Landgraves of Thuringia, because a ministerial Ulrich von Arnsburg is mentioned in 1229. In the years 1278 and 1289 these ministerials were referred to as burgraves.
At the end of the 13th century, the Counts of Hohnstein advanced into this area. In 1293 Albrecht II enfeoffed them with the castle. In 1356 the castle came to the Counts of Schwarzburg. In 1433 they left the claim to the Arnsburg to the Counts of Stolberg in case they died out. In 1498, the Counts of Schwarzburg mortgaged the castle to the Lords of Vippach. It seems to have already deteriorated badly at this point. The final destruction took place in 1525 in the Peasants' War, but it was still inhabited until 1547. The castle has not been mentioned since 1599.
The Arnsburg office is named after the castle.
(Source: Wikipedia)