Starkenburg Castle stands aloft to the north-east of Heppenheim’s old town on the 295-metre-high Schlossberg Hill. Built in 1065, the castle, after which the entire region was later named, is one of the oldest in the western Odenwald region.
In the course of its long history, Starkenburg Castle saw many structural alterations. The last extension phase, which transformed the castle into a defensive building, took place around 1680. The buildings (re)built at that time included barbicans, bastions and troops’ barracks.
After the Electors of Mainz’ garrison withdrew in 1765, the gradual degeneration of the castle began. Its keep was gutted in a fire in 1768 after being struck by lightning. The structural deterioration of the building was only retarded in the 19th century when initially wall demolition and removal of stones were forbidden and finally stopped since 1877 when regular maintenance work began.
In 1924, the old keep was demolished because it was in danger of collapse. To replace it, a new keep was built in subsequent years. However, it was not located on the original site in the middle of the bailey, but on its western side. This decision was governed by the desire to maintain a larger open space in the bailey, albeit at the cost of strict adherence to historical building preservation ethics. Another new building underscored the objective that Starkenburg Castle should be a historical building with functional value: the youth hostel. With its 121 beds and five conference rooms, the house offers excellent conditions for a pleasant sojourn in romantic surroundings for holidaymakers and seminar groups alike.
