 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (July 2012) |
| Berwartstein Castle | |
|---|---|
Burg Berwartstein | |
 Berwartstein as seen from the tower of "Little France" | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | medieval castle |
| Town or city | Erlenbach bei Dahn, Rhineland-Palatinate |
| Country | Germany |
| Coordinates | 49°06′31″N 7°51′46″E / 49.1085°N 7.8627°E |
| Construction started | before 1152 |
| Demolished | Hit by lightning in 1591 |
| Owner | private |
Berwartstein Castle (German: Burg Berwartstein) is a castle in the Wasgau, the southern part of the Palatinate Forest in the state Rhineland-Palatinate in southwestern Germany. It was one of the rock castles that were part of defences of the Palatinate during the Middle Ages. This castle is noted in the publication Works of Preservation of Monuments of Rheinland-Pfalz, which was assembled and edited for the Ministry of Education and Culture. This states that the three prime examples of rock castles in the region are Drachenfels, Altdahn and Berwartstein, castles where the stairs, passages and rooms are carved out of the rock to form part of the accommodation essential to the defence of the castle. Although the Berwartstein appears more complete when compared to the ruins of neighbouring castles, it is only a restoration of the original rock castle. It is the only castle in the Palatinate that was rebuilt and re-inhabited after its demolition.