THE SITE
Marksburg Castle is located above the town of Braubach on the eastern bank of the Rhine and forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a cultural landscape shaped by more than two millennia of human interaction with the river corridor. The valley is characterised by a dense concentration of castles, historic towns, terraced vineyards, and transport routes that together reflect the strategic, economic, and cultural significance of the Rhine as a major European axis since Roman times.
Marksburg occupies a prominent hilltop position overlooking the Rhine and represents one of the best-preserved medieval hilltop castles in Germany. Its location and development are closely connected to the defensive control of river traffic, territorial administration, and the organisation of the surrounding agrarian landscape. Historically, the slopes of the castle hill were not forested as they are today but largely cleared and used for viticulture. These vineyards served both economic purposes and strategic functions, ensuring clear sightlines for defence and surveillance. The cultivation of vines on steep Rhine slopes forms a long-standing tradition within the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, with roots reaching back to Roman land-use practices and continuing through the medieval period.
Access to the castle historically followed a narrow route ascending the hill, commonly referred to as the “Eselspfad” (donkey path), which remained in use until the nineteenth century. At that time, a new paved access road was constructed to accommodate the visit of the German Kaiser, who reached the castle by automobile. Along the earlier access route, dry-stone retaining walls were built to stabilise terraces, some of which supported vineyard cultivation. These structures form part of the broader historic infrastructure that shaped the castle’s immediate surroundings and linked it to the cultural landscape of the Rhine Valley.
Within the castle ensemble itself, several areas reflect successive phases of adaptation and reuse. Defensive zones were repeatedly modified from the early modern period onwards, incorporating material from earlier structures and responding to changing military technologies. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, parts of the castle complex were further altered to serve new functions, including use as a prison. These layered transformations make Marksburg an important site for understanding the long-term evolution of fortified architecture, land use, and social functions within the Upper Middle Rhine Valley.
THE PROJECT
The European Heritage Volunteers Project at Marksburg Castle in 2026 continues long-term cooperation at the site while introducing a new set of works at distinct locations within the castle ensemble. Building on earlier engagements within the Upper Middle Rhine Valley and at Marksburg itself, the 2026 project focuses on archaeological investigation and the conservation of historic landscape infrastructure closely connected to the castle’s defensive system and its surrounding cultural landscape.
One main area of work will be an archaeological excavation within a section of the castle’s former defensive zone. This area reflects at least three distinct phases of use and transformation. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, debris was deposited to raise and stabilise the terrain as part of defensive expansions, during which a cartridge maker’s hut was constructed. The zone was later adapted again for defensive purposes in the nineteenth century and subsequently reused in the twentieth century when the castle functioned as a prison. Today, the area has been restored as an open terrace overlooking the Rhine and is intended to become a social space for visitors. Prior to this transformation, the site management will use the limited time window available in 2026 to conduct an archaeological exploration. The participants will assist in excavating and documenting stratigraphic layers, with the aim of identifying structural remains of the cartridge maker’s hut and gaining insights into the different construction phases and material culture represented in the fill layers.
The second focus of the project will be the rehabilitation of a historic dry-stone retaining wall supporting a terrace parallel to the former access route to the castle. This wall originally stabilised land used for vineyard cultivation during the medieval period. Works will involve the careful dismantling and rebuilding of damaged sections using traditional dry-stone masonry techniques, reusing original stone material found on site. Beyond their structural function, dry-stone constructions allow for natural drainage, air circulation, and soil stability, while also providing microhabitats for insects and other small fauna. The intervention therefore addresses both heritage conservation and ecological considerations. The works form part of a broader initiative to prepare the castle ensemble for the Federal Garden Show (BUGA) 2029, which will include Marksburg Castle. As part of this process, the historic Eselspfad will be rehabilitated as a new hiking route linking Marksburg Castle with Philippsburg Castle below, incorporating the reconstruction of a medieval-style vineyard to create a historically informed interpretative trail for visitors.
All practical interventions will be carried out under the guidance of qualified professionals with expertise in their respective fields. The archaeological excavation will be directed by a qualified archaeologist, while the dry-stone masonry works will be guided by staff experienced in the maintenance of historic landscape structures.
The educational programme will be complemented by expert-led workshops organised in cooperation with specialists from the German Castles Association and its scientific institution, the European Castles Institute, whose expertise includes medieval warfare technologies and the history of castles and fortifications in the Middle Ages. Site visits within the Upper Middle Rhine Valley will further contextualise the hands-on work, situating the project within the wider defensive, agricultural, and cultural history of the region. These visits will be complemented by guided discussions on UNESCO World Heritage principles, values, and management challenges, led by professional staff of European Heritage Volunteers, linking site-specific interventions to broader questions of UNESCO World Heritage conservation and governance.
An integral element of the educational programme will be the participants’ presentations. Each participant is required to prepare and deliver a presentation related to the thematic focus of the activities on site, introducing a case study from their country of origin. This component connects the practical work undertaken during the programme with comparable heritage practices in different cultural and institutional contexts. Through this structured exchange, participants reflect on conservation approaches, management frameworks, and current challenges, contributing to a broader comparative understanding of heritage preservation. The presentations are intended to encourage critical dialogue, intercultural exchange, and the articulation of informed professional perspectives within an international group of emerging heritage practitioners.
The project will take place from July 19th to August 1st, 2026, and is jointly organised by the German Castles Association and European Heritage Volunteers in collaboration with the European Castles Institute.
