The ruin of Wilenstein which is situated south-west of Kaiserslautern, is one of the oldest fortresses in the Pfalz. Only a short time after the construction of the Staufen Pfalz in Lautern circa 1156, there are references to a dean of Worms, Heinrich of Willeinstein from 1154/60 and to Landolf of Wilenstein from 1159. Landolf was probably the first in a line of Reichsministerale, who held different offices in the imperial county of Kaiserslautern until 1338. There is a legal document from the year 1184, in which Landolf is named the Schultheiß of the nearby Lauber Forest, which can be seen as the equivalent of a contemporary higher forestry official.
The Reichsministeralen underwent an apparent decline in the beginning of the 13 th century, as they became vassals to the counts of Leiningen. Between 1266 and 1268 they were obliged to accommodate the counts of Homburg and the Wildgrafen of Dhaun at Wilenstein Castle. When the Wilensteins died out circa 1340, the castle was for a short period in the hands of the Wildgrafen and damaged by a fire caused by a feud with the Raugraf Konrad.
After this Wilenstein was reverted to the counts of Leinngen.The counts of Leiningen then apparently granted “half of the mountain” as a fief to the Wildgrafen of Dahn, the other half became the property of the sovereigns of Flörsheim.This splitting of ownership had a consequent effect on the entire castle. After the reconstruction of the older (front) Wilenstein, the castle was divided in separate parts. In 1348 a truce was made in which the two parties, Johann and Jakob of Flörsheim, and Wirich V. of Dhaun, committed themselves to an act whereby no construction damaging to the other party could be made. It was particularly forbidden to build a tower which would be higher than that of the other party.
This balanced separation did not last a long time. Frequent changes of ownership and the fact that the upper castle was the property of high aristocracy and the lower Wilenstein accomodated families of lower aristocracy caused quarrels. The Gemeiner of the “back castle” apparently secured the support of the Elector of the Pfalz and gave entrance right to their share of the castle to the Count Palatine Ruprecht III. in 1398. This did not really help them as after several disputes and probably some infringements of rights, Count Palatine Ludwig III., Archbishop Werner of Trier and Count Friedrich III. of Veldenz took the castle without conflict. Gerhard of Flörsheim and Hans Horneck of Weinheim the Younger had to subjugate. This did not change the permanently smouldering disputes between the two parties within the castle. The Gemeiner of the lower castle, the sovereigns of Flörsheim, Helmstadt, Blick of Lichtenberg and the treasurer of Dalberg complained, as their predecessors had, about the behaviour of the Dhaun-Oberstein-Falkensteins. This disenchantement necessitated the redrawing of the truce.
During the 30 Year War the castle was so seriously damaged, that in 1664 it was regarded as an uninhabitable ruin. The older Wildenstein was indirectly returned as fief to the Kurpfalz, who sold its share to the Baron Ludwig Anton von Hack in 1716. In 1719 the baron also acquired the former share of the Flörsheimer and hence the Wilensteiner estate was after a long time reunited. After this the barons von Hack administrated the office Wilenstein from their newly built palace in Trippstadt .
In the 1950s extensive restoration and conservation work was performed. The upper castle, whose reconstruction work is often considered inappropriate, now serves as school vacation centre.
