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In early medieval times, Trifels Castle was the best known castle. In the great age of the empire it was called “the castle of former times.”
Trifels sits like a throne on a 40-meter high sandstone rock. Two main buildings of the upper castle have been recreated, the great keep and the Emperor’s palace.
In the 10th century, local counts erected a wooden fortification. A century later, Emperor Konrad I ordered it to be modified as a stone fortification.
Trifels Castle was first mentioned in a 1081 document, when the fief was given to Knight Hermann of Salm. In 1112, the German emperor captured the Archbishop of Mainz and forced him to give the castle back to the crown, and from 1113 it was used as a prison.
In 1118, Emperor Heinrich IV decided to store the imperial crown jewels at Trifels, that’s how it became the “castle of the castles.” For at least 150 years, Trifels kept this high status as a cornerstone of imperial power – “he who hold Trifels, holds the empire.”
The English King Richard the Lionheart was captured in 1193 and jailed at Trifels for a year until the English paid an incredibly high ransom.
The lucky star of Trifels Castle started fading in 1298 when a decision was made to store the imperial jewels in another castle. Emperor Ludwig IV of Bavaria promised the castle to Count Palatine Rudolf II, but the count never redeemed it. From 1309 to 1359, some construction was documented, but the counts Palatine had other favorite castles, and Trifels became a second-line castle. In 1568, it was used for document storage. Shortly after 1595, the castle was struck by lightning and mostly burnt down.
During the Thirty Years’ War, from 1618 to 1648, the citizens of Annweiler fled to Trifels several times to hide from enemy troops, but there was no defense at the ruined castle. Afterward it was used as a quarry until restoration activities began in 1866.
In 1938, there was a historically-based reconstruction effort of the main castle by architect Rudolf Elsterer, and now the state keeps Trifels under steady care.
Today visitors can admire imitations of the former imperial insignia, crown, orb and scepter in Trifels Castle.
Opening hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. January through March, and October and November, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. April through September.
Admission fee is €2.60 for adults and €1 for children. Guided tours are available by calling the Annweiler Tourist Information office at 06346-2200.
Parking is available on the bottom of Burgberg hill. It’s a 20-minute walk to the castle from here.
Annweiler am Trifels is west of Landau on B48. It received town rights from Emperor Friedrich II in 1219. Today it has about 7,000 inhabitants, lies 180 to 250 meters above sea-level and is considered a state-certified mountain resort.
(Information provided by German Castle Association)
