Auerbach Castle Auerbach Castle is one of several fortresses along the Bergstrasse in southern Hesse , Germany . The castle was originally built by King Charlemagne ( Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire ) and rebuilt by Count Diether IV of the Katzenelnbogen dynasty in the second quarter of the 13th century . Today it remains standing atop a hill known as ( part of the Melibokus ) above the town of Bensheim - Auerbach . History . The town of Auerbach was mentioned for the first time in the Lorsch codex as " Urbach " . Through the marriage of Hildegard von Henneberg , areas of the Bergstraße passed to Henry II of Katzenelnbogen in 1135 . Henry was ennobled as an earl in 1138 by King Konrad III . At that time , Auerbach belonged to the County of Katzenelnbogen . Katzenelnbogen was sub - divided into the Lower County ( around St . Goar on the Rhine ) and the Upper County ( in what is now southern Hesse , south of the Main ) . A stronghold was needed to provide security for the southern Katzenelnbogen dynasty ; this included protection of the duties ( tolls ) collected at the town of Zwingenberg from travellers using the well - known north - south trading route along the Roman mountain road ( " Strada Montana " , or " Bergstrasse " in German ) . Auerbach Castle was built on the strategically - important Auerberg ( Urberg ) hill to address this need . Construction of the castle is believed to have begun about 1222 by the order of Earl Diether IV von Katzenelnbogen . The earliest mention of a castle on Urberg in the historical record appears in 1247 , and the first document of the castle itself dates from 1257 . In 1479 County Katzenelnbogen ( including Auerbach Castle ) passed to the Landgraviate of Hesse . The castle lost much of its strategic importance during the 16th century until , by the time of the Thirty Years War , it was no longer in military use . In 1674 ( during the 1672 – 1679 Franco - Dutch War ) the castle was conquered and set afire by an army under French Marshal Turenne , killing local people who had sought protection within its walls . The abandoned castle became a ruin over the following years . In 1820 the north tower of the castle collapsed , after which the Landgraviate of Hesse decided to secure ( and partially rebuild ) the ruins . In 1888 an inn was built in the former bailey , which was open year - round . During the 1950s , the south tower became inaccessible due to the deterioration of its wooden staircase . In 1989 , construction began on a terraced restaurant ; it opened the following year , increasing the attraction of the castle ruins to visitors . In 2007 , the stairway in the south tower was repaired and reopened to the public . Viniculture . In 1258 a vineyard called the " Grafenweinberg " was recorded , and in 1318 one called the " Reubere " . There is still viticulture at the site today . Design . The triangular shape of the castle keep survives today . Between the wall ( from the north to the south tower ) and the inner courtyard were the kitchens , living quarters , stables and smithy . The original entrance , protected by a donjon , was in the wall between the north and former east tower . Between the wall ( from the east to the south tower ) and the inner courtyard were the grand hall , cellars and the castle chapel . In the east corner of the inner courtyard lies the original well , drilled vertically through of bedrock . The castle keep is surrounded by a ring wall which encloses the bailey . A further forecourt is enclosed by another ring wall . At the south side of this ring wall was the entrance to the estate . On 18 October 1356 , a powerful earthquake shook the Rhine rift ; the donjon collapsed onto the eastern and southeastern buildings . Beginning about 1370 , large - scale reconstruction and expansion of the castle took place . The donjon was demolished , the entrance to the keep relocated and the northern shield wall was closed and raised . The entrance to the castle is now in the southwest corner , where it is protected by the south tower and an inner bailey . A - thick bastion was built in place of the east tower . This bastion ( the first of its kind in Germany ) was designed to protect the castle from cannon bombardment from the northeast . The north and south towers may have been raised at this time . These additional fortifications , ordered by the Counts of Katzenelnbogen , gave rise to the name " Feste Urberg " ( Urberg Fort ) and made Auerbach one of the most secure and modern castles in the world at that time . Present day . Dinner theater and knights ' tournaments ( with medieval games ) are regular features at the castle . Since spring 2007 the north and south towers are accessible to the public after extensive restoration .