Balduinseck Castle is located in the valley on the L 203 between the towns of Buch and Mastershausen and is freely accessible. The hilltop castle was built in the 14th century by Elector Baldwin of Luxembourg as a stronghold against the Counts of Sponheim, who resided at Kastellaun Castle. When it was built, Baldwin seems to have been particularly inspired by the French donjon type.
The castle was never destroyed but fell into ruin from the 18th century. Comprehensive renovation was completed in 2014, making the site freely accessible again. The 18-meter-high, four-story walls of the residential tower are still well preserved today. Today, Balduinseck Castle is a special highlight for many hikers.
References:Dryburgh Abbey on the banks of the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders was founded in 1150 in an agreement between Hugh de Morville, Constable of Scotland, and the Premonstratensian canons regular from Alnwick Abbey in Northumberland. The arrival of the canons along with their first abbot, Roger, took place in 1152.
It was burned by English troops in 1322, after which it was restored only to be again burned by Richard II in 1385, but it flourished in the fifteenth century. It was finally destroyed in 1544, briefly surviving until the Scottish Reformation, when it was given to the Earl of Mar by James VI of Scotland. It is now a designated scheduled monument and the surrounding landscape is included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.
David Erskine, 11th Earl of Buchan bought the land in 1786. Sir Walter Scott and Douglas Haig are buried in its grounds.