Steinenschloß
It is generally supposed though not proven, that in approximately 1100 a castle was built on the southern border of a region subsequently known as Lauterer Reich. This site has been known since the beginning of the century by name of Steinenschloss and is situated at the confluence of the rivers Rodalbe and Schwarbach. As the original name is not known the new name derives from the nearby village of Steegen which was abandoned in the late 16 th century. The castle is also commonly refered to as the Steegener Palace. There is also the name Atzenstein which refers to an abandoned estate near the castle which could possibly have been the original title.
The history of the castle is as unclear as its construction date. We do not know who built the castle nor what happened to it later.Archeologists have proven that the Steinenschloss was destroyed at the end of the 12 th century and probably not rebuilt, this gives us some information about its early history.
In 1168 troops of the Emperor Friedrich I.Barbarossa destroyed four castles of the counts of Saarbrücken in the area of Saarland and the Pflälzer Forest. The names of these castles are not known but possibly Steinenschloss was one of them. The properties of the Saarbrücker were inherited by the counts of Leiningen who remained in the area between the 13 th and the 16 th centuries. They were later inherited by the counts of Hanau-Lichtenberg at the end of the 16 th century.
The huge keep, which was added afterwards during the Salier epoch, was at the end of the 19 th century more visible than today. The castle, however, became increasingly ruinous over the centuries and served as a source of building materials for the construction of railway lines and the extension of the Pirmasens North train station. Extensive restoration and archeological work have been recently carried out, particularly the round keep was cleared of rubble and large parts of the circle wall were rebuilt.
