Burg Dattenberg

Burg Dattenberg stands on the edge of the village of Dattenberg in the Neuwied district of Rheinland-Pfalz. Built around 1220 by the local noble family von Dattenberg, it was first recorded in 1242. The castle passed through several noble hands, including the Archbishop of Cologne and the Raitz von Frentz family. By 1624 it was already described as ruined. In the 19th century a two-storey manor house and farm buildings were added by the Cologne notary Josef Stoppenbach.

The castle’s remains include an 11-metre-high stub of the central bergfried with an 8.5-metre diameter. A neck ditch cut into slate rock still separates the inner ward from the outer bailey. The most striking feature is the roofless ruin of the great tower, which can only be viewed from outside. The site shows layers of medieval fortification and later residential use.

Visitors walk past the high stone walls and the deep ditch to reach the tower stump. The circular main castle and rectangular curtain wall give a clear sense of the original plan. The surrounding countryside of the Rhine valley provides a quiet backdrop to the weathered stone.