Since construction in the 2nd. Quarter of the 13th century, now almost over 750 years ago, the path leads unchanged from the east to the fort. The original entrance to the castle was situated to the north and led through the enormous shield wall. The castle building was almost completely changed during the process of expansion in the second half of the 14th century. You can enter the compound from the east over the drawbridge and you will come after about 300 m from the south through a large entrance way into the forecourt.

All of the numerous visitors to the former most important castle of the county Katzenelnbogen, no matter who they were, counts, noble people, knights, squires, minstrels, hunting societies, traders, stable boys, servants, freeman and serfs, friends and enemies, all of them had to take the same path and entrance. Only the cleric did not.

As a result of the modern restaurants construction now visitors of health resorts, walkers, hikers, travelers in general, weekend walkers who parked their car at one of the numerous available parking lots, school classes, Mountain Bikers, hungry and thirsty people, bus excursion groups, also people who are interested in construction or history accompanied by a guide, companies which want to offer something special to their employees, or guests for a present or anniversary, young married couples who want to spend their wedding day high up closer to seventh heaven with their relatives and friends and many many more.

The counts of Katzenelnbogen built this most important castle building at the Bergstraße in 1230 and extended it significantly around 1370. Georg Dehio, an expert on German Building monuments, agrees with this designation. That is why it isn't surprising that a lot of artists from Darmstadt, especially during the Romantic era, preferred this castle to others of south Hessen. The castle of Auerbach is the motif for many excellent paintings that were produced in this period.

Auerbach was well known even in former times because of its scenic beauty from the hill Melibokus, the castle, as well as the mineral rich steel spring in the Roßbach, and the Fürstenlager (a former resting place for royalty). Why was it called Auerbach "Castle"? Due to the importance of the fort to the county Katzenelnbogen, the count and his family occasionally residing there because of its size, the building the fortress Auerberg or Urberg was called castle already in early documents of the 14th Century. Later it was called castle also in the books of the Hessen chronological collection written by Wilhelm Scheffern, called "Dilich" ( 1572-1655) printed 1605 by Wilhelm Wessel.

It wasn't the regular castle of the counts of Katzenelnbogen, because they lived originally in the castle where their name came from and later in Rheinfels in the low county Katzenelnbogen. The Fortress was used to scare possible enemies away through the protection of the narrow entrance, the pass in Zwingenberg, and for the protection of the whole high county of Katzenelnbogen.

© Schloss Auerbach 2009