Kleeburg castle in Weidesheim is a jewel among the Erft castles, with its red-and-yellow window-shutters. This two-part castle, surrounded by a moat, has a large fortified fore-castle and massive brick towers. It was built probably in the 14th century and documented first time in 1393.
Visitors are only able to see the fore-castle. One can only gain entrance over a little drawbridge. Today the main castle is small but unique. After a fire in 1938 the rooms of the upper storey were rebuilt according to the original design.
References:The Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg is situated in a strategic area on a rocky spur overlooking the Upper Rhine Plain, it was used by successive powers from the Middle Ages until the Thirty Years' War when it was abandoned. From 1900 to 1908 it was rebuilt at the behest of the German kaiser Wilhelm II. Today it is a major tourist site, attracting more than 500,000 visitors a year.
The first records of a castle built by the Hohenstaufens date back to 1147. The fortress changed its name to Koenigsburg (royal castle) around 1157. The castle was handed over to the Tiersteins by the Habsburgs following its destruction in 1462. They rebuilt and enlarged it, installing a defensive system designed to withstand artillery fire.
The fortification work accomplished over the 15th century did not suffice to keep the Swedish artillery at bay during the Thirty Years War, and the defences were overrun.