Sprengelburg
The Sprengelburg (or Springeburg) is a ruined hill castle in the county of Kusel in Rhineland-Palatinate. It lies between the villages of Eßweiler and Oberweiler im Tal on the L 372 state road. In 1983 the ruins were declared a heritage monument. Location The Sprengelburg lies on an outlier of the Königsberg between Eßweiler and Oberweiler im Tal immediately next to the Landesstraße 372. The boundary of the two municipalities runs through the castle terrain. History Middle Ages Base on what is left of the castle, the Sprengelburg may have been built in the 13th century. The castle was erected at the narrowest point of the Talbach valley and guarded the road that used to run below it in the valley bottom. The castle lords (Burgherren) were the knights of Mülenstein, vassals (Lehnsmänner) of the Rheingrafen family in Grumbach. Whether they had the castle built is unclear. The Mülenstein family is recorded from 1317 to 1451. The Lords of Mülenstein were robber knights and inflicted serious losses on the merchants using the road. Consequently, the castle was destroyed by Strasbourg merchants in retaliation for the raids. The exact date of its destruction is not known. Lichtenberg state scribe (Landschreiber) and