Gutenfels Castle

Gutenfels Castle crowns a rocky spur 110 metres above the Rhine town of Kaub and stands as one of the most intact examples of Hohenstaufen castle architecture in Germany, constructed around 1220. It functioned in tandem with the Pfalzgrafenstein toll fortress on a small Rhine island directly below — together controlling one of the most profitable toll crossings on the medieval Rhine and forming a landmark pair within the UNESCO Upper Middle Rhine Valley World Heritage Site. Unlike many Rhine castles razed during Louis XIV's campaigns in the late 17th century, Gutenfels survived largely intact and received careful 19th-century restoration. The castle operates today as a private hotel, its keep and courtyard offering unobstructed panoramic views across the Rhine bend, the Loreley stretch, and the forested Taunus slopes opposite.