Are Castle

Are Castle is a protected hilltop ruin perched at 240 metres above the Ahr valley, overlooking the village of Altenahr in the Eifel region. It was built between 1095 and 1105 by Count Dietrich I of Are and first mentioned in a document in 1121, making it one of the oldest recorded fortifications in the Ahr valley. Over the medieval centuries it changed hands repeatedly before falling into disrepair. Today the ruin is a listed monument open from sunrise to sunset; no wheelchair access exists given the rocky ascent. The surviving walls and free-standing keep reward the climb with sweeping views into the winding Ahr valley below, and the weathered stonework gives the site a quietly atmospheric, melancholic character.