Since when has Are Castle been a ruin?

It has been a ruin since 1714, when Prince Elector Joseph Clemens of Bavaria had its walls blown up with the agreement of the local villagers.

Who built Are Castle?

It was built between 1095 and 1105 by Count Dietrich I of Are, whose family also produced several bishops and Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden of Cologne, builder of Cologne Cathedral.

Can you go inside Are Castle?

It is a secured open-air ruin without an interior in the usual sense, though its remains can be freely explored.

What is the Gymnicher Porz?

It was the lower fortified gateway that barred the access road below Are Castle, named after the House of Gymnich, which once held it in pledge.

Are Castle

Altenahr

Visit

Hours to be confirmed

Book a visit

Tickets via our partner GetYourGuide, affiliate link

Where: Altenahr

Hours and prices not verified at the source yet.

To make a day of it

Open within 20 km

Sleep nearby

Burg Are stands in Altenahr (Landkreis Ahrweiler), in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The building is a listed Baudenkmal. Recorded dating: 11th century. Its opening hours and prices have not been verified at the source yet.

Are Castle stands above the village of Altenahr on a rocky spur at 240 metres, built at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries by Count Dietrich I of Are. Only a ruin remains today, but one that has been secured and made accessible to visitors. Its rectangular layout can still be traced, along with the rock outcrop where the first tower once stood, the gate tower known as the Schellenturm, and the remains of a 12th-century Romanesque chapel. Further down the hill, the remnants of the Gymnicher Porz mark the fortified entrance to the old access road.

Written from Are Castle

What to know

The visit takes place outdoors, among ruins that have been secured but left as remnants, with no roofed or enclosed rooms.
Reaching the site requires walking uphill to the rocky spur where the ruins stand.
Are Castle is listed as a Baudenkmal in Rhineland-Palatinate.
The remains of the Gymnicher Porz, the former fortified gatehouse, lie further down the hill on the access path.

Where this château is

Altenahr · Landkreis Ahrweiler · Rheinland-Pfalz

Loading the map…

This châteauChâteaux within 40 km

Address

53505 Altenahr

Directions open from wherever you are, by car or public transport.

Get directions View on a map

Château phone number

+49 2643 8448

Call

The safest check before setting off: today’s hours, guided-tour availability, where to park.

4.6 / 5from 1,479 Google reviews

Heritage status: Baudenkmal
Period of construction: 11th century

In pictures

Frequently asked

Since when has Are Castle been a ruin?: It has been a ruin since 1714, when Prince Elector Joseph Clemens of Bavaria had its walls blown up with the agreement of the local villagers.
Who built Are Castle?: It was built between 1095 and 1105 by Count Dietrich I of Are, whose family also produced several bishops and Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden of Cologne, builder of Cologne Cathedral.
Can you go inside Are Castle?: It is a secured open-air ruin without an interior in the usual sense, though its remains can be freely explored.
What is the Gymnicher Porz?: It was the lower fortified gateway that barred the access road below Are Castle, named after the House of Gymnich, which once held it in pledge.