Nanstein Castle in Rhineland-Palatinate by EuroTourData
Nanstein Castle is the restored ruins of the hill castle and the imperial castle, built around 1160 by order of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa as part of the Palatinate system of fortifications.
Image copyright info
© Creative Commons: Burg Nanstein "von oben" - panoramio, author gesoe62. License: CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped from original.
Nanstein Castle history
Around 1520 the castle was expanded and modernized to protect against artillery fire. In the spring of 1523, the castle was captured by the combined armies of three imperial princes and partially destroyed. After 1543 the castle was restored and the Renaissance palace was built around 1600. After the Thirty Years' War, Duke Charles IV of Lorraine took over the castle. In 1668 Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine blew up the castle. The castle was finally destroyed by French troops in 1689 during the Nine Years' War.
Source
The article Burg Nanstein of German Wikipedia.