Where is the Burg Klein-Frankreich located?

It stands at Erlenbach bei Dahn, in the Landkreis Südwestpfalz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, at the foot of the Nestelberg hill.

Can you drive up to the Burg Klein-Frankreich?

No, the final stretch can only be covered on foot along forest tracks closed to vehicles.

What was the link between Burg Klein-Frankreich and Burg Berwartstein?

Klein-Frankreich was built in 1484 as an outpost to protect the nearby Burg Berwartstein, allowing crossfire over the ground between them.

What remains of the Burg Klein-Frankreich today?

Mainly the base of a large gun tower survives, along with traces of an enclosing wall and a filled-in well.

Where does the name Klein-Frankreich come from?

Its origin is unclear, though the site does face towards France, whose current border lies only a few kilometres away.

Little France

Erlenbach bei Dahn

Access

No visits on recordNo opening hours or ticketing found

Where: Erlenbach bei Dahn

To make a day of it

Open within 20 km

Sleep nearby

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Burg Klein-Frankreich stands in Erlenbach bei Dahn (Landkreis Südwestpfalz), in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The building is a listed Baudenkmal. Recorded dating: 15th century. No visits are on record for this building.

The Burg Klein-Frankreich is the ruin of an outlying stronghold built at the foot of the Nestelberg hill, in the Palatinate Forest, to reinforce the defence of the nearby Burg Berwartstein. Raised in the late 15th century, what remains today is the massive stump of a gun tower pierced with firing slits, along with traces of an enclosing wall and a filled-in well. Its name, never satisfactorily explained, adds to the appeal of a site reached only on foot through the forest.

Written from Little France (castle)

What to know

The ruin can only be reached on foot, via roughly 500 metres of forest tracks from where the paved road ends.
Visitors should expect a climb of about 70 metres in elevation from the roadside parking area.
No vehicle access is possible up to the ruin, unlike at the nearby Burg Berwartstein.
The site consists of open-air remains, with no covered building or visitor facilities.
The monument is listed as a Kulturdenkmal in Germany.

Where this château is

Erlenbach bei Dahn · Landkreis Südwestpfalz · Rheinland-Pfalz

Map of the area around Burg Klein-Frankreich

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This châteauChâteaux within 40 km

Address

Erlenbach bei Dahn, Landkreis Südwestpfalz

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

Get directions View on a map

Heritage status: Kulturdenkmal in Deutschland
Period of construction: 15th century

In pictures

Frequently asked

Where is the Burg Klein-Frankreich located?: It stands at Erlenbach bei Dahn, in the Landkreis Südwestpfalz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, at the foot of the Nestelberg hill.
Can you drive up to the Burg Klein-Frankreich?: No, the final stretch can only be covered on foot along forest tracks closed to vehicles.
What was the link between Burg Klein-Frankreich and Burg Berwartstein?: Klein-Frankreich was built in 1484 as an outpost to protect the nearby Burg Berwartstein, allowing crossfire over the ground between them.
What remains of the Burg Klein-Frankreich today?: Mainly the base of a large gun tower survives, along with traces of an enclosing wall and a filled-in well.
Where does the name Klein-Frankreich come from?: Its origin is unclear, though the site does face towards France, whose current border lies only a few kilometres away.