Oberstein, located above Idar-Oberstein, was built in 1325 by the lords of Daun-Oberstein.
To the right, two views of one of the authentic stairways, probably around 500+ years old. The stairway is a spiral type, and you can see the center post, though now somewhat decayed, in the photo immediately to the right. On the far right photo can be seen the original steps built into the wall.
Oberstein looks impressive from the outside, but once you get to it there is not too much to see. Nevertheless, there is some good reconstruction going on, and efforts made to rebuild sections on original designs. The castle ruin has two parts: the main section seen at left, and another outlying section that can be seen to the right in the photo above.
Below is an illustration of the castle around the 1600s when it looked far more impressive than it does today!
Above left, a view of a part of a residential wing from within the castle's inner ward. Above right, one of the restored doors.
Left and below, two views of a portion of the outer section of the castle. We could have hiked to it but decided not to. However, the view would be excellent from this point.
Right, two views of some of the restored sections of the castle. However, the basic structure is the original.
The photo to the far right shows one of the gates, and the smaller one-man entrance doors that lead into the inner ward.
