Burg Pfalzgrafenstein, Germany

The Burg Pfalzgrafenstein is a medieval castle located on the Falkenau island, also known as Pfalz Island in the Rhine river near Kaub, Germany.



The castle was built in 1327 by King Ludwig the Bavarian to serve as a toll-collecting station. Between 1338 and 1340 the castle was extended and around the pentagonal tower a defensive hexagonal wall was built. Some additions were also made in 1607 and 1755 but otherwise the Burg Pfalzgrafenstein survived almost untouched until the present days and was never seized or destroyed. After it was acquired by Prussia in 1866 its function as a toll collection station ceased and it was used as a signal station for the river boat traffic.

In the 1946 the Burg Pfaltzgrafenstein passed to the State of Rhineland-Pfalz which turned it into a museum and opened it to the public.