What remains of the Ringwallburg Heunstein today?

A much eroded circular rampart and ditch survive in the forest, along with a spring once enclosed within the fortification.

Can you visit the Ringwallburg Heunstein freely?

Yes, the site can be reached on foot like a hiking destination, with no opening hours or entrance fee.

How old is the Ringwallburg Heunstein?

The rampart dates from the late La Tène period, built by Celtic people, with hints of earlier occupation on the hill.

Is the Ringwallburg Heunstein a medieval castle?

No, it is a fortified Celtic hilltop settlement, an oppidum, much older than the Middle Ages, of which only earthworks remain.

Where is the Ringwallburg Heunstein located?

It lies near Nanzenbach, in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis, Hesse, on a wooded hill called the Heunstein.

Ringwallburg Heunstein

Nanzenbach

Access

No visits on recordNo opening hours or ticketing found

Where: Nanzenbach

To make a day of it

Open within 20 km

Greifenstein Castlefrom €816 km

Sleep nearby

Ringwallburg Heunstein stands in Nanzenbach (Lahn-Dill-Kreis), in Hesse, Germany. The building is a listed Baudenkmal. No visits are on record for this building.

The Ringwallburg Heunstein is not a castle in the medieval sense but the remains of a Celtic hilltop settlement, an oppidum, situated on a wooded hill 471 metres high near Nanzenbach. What survives today is a circular earthwork and ditch, much weathered, that once enclosed close to 12 hectares over a length of roughly 650 metres. A spring on the site, now called the Heuweiher, was protected by its own annex rampart built into the fortification, underlining its importance to the Celtic inhabitants. Excavations in the early twentieth century uncovered pottery and some fibulae, now held elsewhere, so little remains visible on the ground itself.

What to know

The site lies in forest on a hilltop and requires a walk on foot without dedicated tourist facilities.
This is not a castle with buildings to visit but an archaeological earthwork, with rampart and ditch partly preserved.
There are no opening hours or admission fees, as access to the site is free like a forest trail.
The place is protected as a Bodendenkmal, meaning excavation or collecting finds without permission is prohibited.
There is no indication of reduced-mobility access or dedicated parking on site.

Where this château is

Nanzenbach · Lahn-Dill-Kreis · Hessen

Map of the area around Ringwallburg Heunstein

Loading the map…

This châteauChâteaux within 40 km

Address

Unnamed Road, Dillenburg

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

Get directions View on a map

3.8 / 5from 8 Google reviews

Heritage status: Kulturdenkmal in Deutschland

In pictures

Frequently asked

What remains of the Ringwallburg Heunstein today?: A much eroded circular rampart and ditch survive in the forest, along with a spring once enclosed within the fortification.
Can you visit the Ringwallburg Heunstein freely?: Yes, the site can be reached on foot like a hiking destination, with no opening hours or entrance fee.
How old is the Ringwallburg Heunstein?: The rampart dates from the late La Tène period, built by Celtic people, with hints of earlier occupation on the hill.
Is the Ringwallburg Heunstein a medieval castle?: No, it is a fortified Celtic hilltop settlement, an oppidum, much older than the Middle Ages, of which only earthworks remain.
Where is the Ringwallburg Heunstein located?: It lies near Nanzenbach, in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis, Hesse, on a wooded hill called the Heunstein.