Welcome to the Schwabsburg castle ruins
The castle keep of the Schwabsburg castle ruins has stood defiant for 800 years. It once formed the heart of a small fortress built in around 1210, which served to protect and preserve the power of the Hohenstaufens in and around Nierstein and Oppenheim. It is not far from a former Roman military road that was used until the Middle Ages.
The solid rectangular castle keep is still impressive today. From its roof, you can enjoy lovely views over the village and the vineyards as far as Nierstein.
The ruins are open all year round and free to access.
No winter service on site.
Please inform yourself about current weather warnings before your visit.
Address
Ruine Schwabsburg
55283 Nierstein
The ruin is a historical site of the Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe Rheinland-Pfalz (General Directorate for Cultural Heritage Rhineland‑Palatinate), www.gdke.rlp.de.
Regrettably, as it is a historic site, there is no disabled access to Schwabsburg castle ruins. Thank you for your understanding.
The keep of Schwabsburg Castle rises to an impressive height of 22 metres amidst vineyards to the west of Nierstein.
It is the remnant of a small fortification founded around 1210, which was intended to protect the estates in Ingelheim and – together with a group of other castles – the imperial possessions around Oppenheim and Nierstein. After ist seizure in the 14th century, Schwabsburg Castle lost ist importance, was destroyed in 1620 during the Thirty Years‘ War and was cleared for demolition in 1799.
The keep survived all these blows of fate and was last renovated between 2009 and 2012. It is clad with humpbacked limestone ashlars, a hallmark of the Elaborate fortification architecture of the Staufer period. Inside the tower today, a modern steel spiral staircase leads from the old dungeon to the former entrance at a height of around 11 metres. From there, a Stone staircase leads up to the viewing platform.
The Schwabsburg is not only a cultural monument, but also harbours nesting sites for jackdaws and kestrels.
Tourismus- und Kulturbüro Nierstein
Bildstockstraße 10 (Rathaus)
55283 Nierstein
Phone +49 6133 960 500
info(at)stadt-nierstein.de
www.nierstein.de