Annweilerer Burgenweg

On this trail, we climb up to the landmark of Annweiler - the three cone-shaped hilltops with the castles of Trifels, Anebos and Scharfenberg. In addition to historical highlights and bizarre rock formations there await us wonderful views over the green summits of the Wasgau.

 

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We start at the parking site near the spa grounds and follow the signs with the castle logo. These trail markers will show us the way to the three castles and then back to Annweiler. Along both wide and narrow paths we climb up the slopes of the Bindersbacher valley through a deciduous forest, until we reach the parking site of Windhof. From here the trail leads in switchbacks further uphill, past a lookout point looking over the ruins of Scharfenberg, also called the Münz, with its high castle keep. The climb is now finished and from now on it only goes slightly up and down. From the Castle Scharfenberg (Münz), the trail leads us past a huge sandstone massif downhill. Having reached a pretty resting place, we turn left and climb onto a small path leading to ruins of Anebos. There is very little left of the castle, however the views of the castles of Scharfenberg (Münz) and Trifels are great. Turning clockwise around the hill summit, the trail marker brings us back down to a resting place at the foot of the rock walls. There we turn left and soon come to the "Schlossäcker" below the Trifels with its large parking site, restaurant and kiosk. There then follows another short, but well signposted ascent and we reach the, unfortunately not historically reconstructed, imperial castle of Trifels . This castle was the favourite castle of the Emperor Barbarossa, the depository of the imperial regalia and where the English king Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned. A replica of the crown, orb and sceptre can still be seen in the fortress today. Back at the car park, we turn left at an information board down a few steps and then along pleasant forest paths down to our starting point, the parking site at the spa grounds.