Ahlsburg

The Ahlsburg — known also as Alerdestein, Mahlsburg, or Wahlburg — is the ruin of a medieval imperial hilltop fortress in the Eckertal valley near Ilsenburg, on the northern edge of the Harz mountains in Saxony-Anhalt. Founded in 1357, it was one of several Reichsburgen (imperial castles) that controlled the mountain passes and valley routes of the Harz. Little remains above ground beyond scattered masonry reclaimed by forest, but the elevated site rewards hikers with views down into the Ecker valley. It makes a quiet detour on established Harz walking routes, with the ruined stonework lending the kind of atmosphere that more visited castles have long since lost.