Arreskov was owned by the Crown and in 1241 Duke Abel inherited the castle from his father, King Valdemar Sejr. Some years later, the castle was captured and destroyed by his brother Erik Plovpenning. Arreskov was captured once again and destroyed in 1264 by King Erik Glipping. The present castle is third on the site, built in 1558. The castle mound is about 100 m x 35 m. The rectangular castle embankment is protected by a moat and circular outer ramparts. Today, the ramparts are partly destroyed and the castle embankment is overgrown. Not far from Gammel Arreskov stands another castle mound called Perdeholm. The castle and park is open by appointment.
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.