Minneburg is difficult to reach because it is hard to dertermine where one should park to reach the castle. There are two primary ways to approach it: one from the south and west, but this is not recommended if you are driving a car (described to me by a local as "schwierig").
The best way to approach is from the east, at the base of the slopes and near the Neckar River. opposite the town of Neckargerach and the campground along the river. Follow a small road north after exiting off the L633. The road comes to a dead end (it changes to a trail) where there is a small parking area, which serves as the trailhead up the slopes. The hike is about 15 minutes but is well worth it. However, the tail can be difficult for some.
Right, a view of the castle from the slopes below.
Minneburg was started some time in the 1200s, though its origin is shrouded in some mystery. According to legend, the castle name was derived from a woman, Minna von Horneck by name, who was the love of Graf von Schwarzenberg who left on the Crusades. When he returned he found her on her deathbed and promised to build a castle in her honor.
The Bergfried, or main tower, as well as the palas were completed around 1300, situated on a prominent rock outcrop above the Neckar River. The shieldwall was built between 1518-1521 and was composed of two separate walls, of which the outer along the dry moat has mostly vanished. The first official mention of the castle appears to have been in 1339, with the early owner being Eberhardt Rudt von Collenberg, a scion of a Frankish noble family that owned and traded properties from the Rhein to the Neckar. As early as 1349, the castle was pawned to Ruprecht I Elector Palatinate, then later to Hofwart von Sickingen, and then later to the von Steinach family, only to once more settle into the possession of the Elector Palatinate in 1499.
By the early 1500s, the castle passed to Vogt Wilhelm von Harben, who extended the outer works of the castle and added some amenities such as running water. The family line died out around 1600, and the castle became a winery. Despite such a "peaceful" purpose, the castle was still defended for the Protestant cause against the Catholic League troops of Count Tilly. Tilly besieged the castle in 1622, which soon surrendered after some significant damage when the walls were breached. Afterwards, the ruin was used as a quarry for the locals who pilfered the stones for their own building projects. Efforts to prevent futher deterioration of the ruin began in the late 1800s, but these were suspended for many years until the 1970s.
