Castle Ruin Ehrenfels
4 meter thick and 20 meter high walls with two towers, each 33 meter high are the remains of this impressive castle ruin...
Built in the 10/11th century Ehrenfels was an important toll station in the 13th and 14th century in connection with the "Mäuseturm" (mouse tower) in the rhine.
In the 30-years-war Ehrenfels was sieged and occupied quite often.
During the "Pfälzische Erbfolgekrieg" it was destroyed in 1689.
Later the prussians got the castle ruin and today it is the property of the federal state Hesse.

Ruin "Nollig" near Lorch
Probably not a castle ruin but a habitable watch tower, built in the 14th century as a 3-storied half-timbered building that was surrounded later with thick walls. Until today it is highly controversial if the Nollig belonged to the former fortification of Lorch.
Today it is private property and so can not be visited.
You will pass the Nollig on your hiking tour between Lorch and Kaub.

Castle Burg Gutenfels was built in 13th century.
The origin "Burg Kaub" was destroyed and sieged many times.
After an unsuccessful 39 days siege from "Landgraf Wilhelm von Hessen", "Kurfürst Ludwig der Friedfertige von der Pfalz" named the castle "Gutenfels" in 1504.
1806 Napoleon blew the castle up. 1889-1892 the architect Gustav Walter rebuilt the castle trying to maintain the ruin-character. Today the castle is private property.

Castle Burg Pfalzgrafenstein
The never destroyed castle in the middle of the rhine is a symbol of rhine-romanticism.
The history of the toll castle Pfalzgrafenstein:
King Ludwig of Bavaria built the Pfalzgrafenstein in 1326/27. At first it was only the 36 m high pentagonal tower, the one and only reason of it was to take toll from the ships that passed the Pfalzgrafenstein...

Castle Burg Katz in St.Goarshausen
Actually the right name was castle "Burg Neukatzenelnbogen", today known as "Cat-castle" or "Burg Katz". It was built 1360 - 1371 by the earls of "Katzenelnbogen" in the neighbourhood to castle "mouse", "Burg Maus".
1479 was the expiration of the "Katzenelnbogener" family. Inheritance fights followed and the castle was destroyed in parts in the years 1626 and 1647...