To date, there is no definite information on when Falkenburg Castle was founded. In 1246, Falkenburg Castle is mentioned in the context of Isengard von Falkenstein and her husband, the imperial princess Philipp I von Falkenstein, handing over several castles and the imperial jewels to King Konrad IV. There is no evidence of a ministerial family named after the castle until the end of the 13th century with Werner von Falkenburg and his brothers, who died in 1290. This is also when the pledging of the estate began. At the beginning of the 14th century, Falkenburg Castle was under the control of the Counts of Leiningen as a pawn. Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian transferred it together with other imperial castles and estates to the Counts Palatine of the Rhine for 6,000 marks of silver in 1330. In the following decades, the Raugrafen (1364/75) and the Counts of Leiningen acquired rights to the castle. In contrast to the Raugrafen, the Leiningen were able to assert their claims. Emperor Charles IV's instruction in 1378 to authorise Elector Ruprecht I of the Palatinate to redeem the imperial castles of Guttenberg and Falkenburg from Count Emich V of Leiningen, together with the neighbouring places and rights that also belonged to the imperial estate, was not implemented. The Counts Palatine and the Counts of Leiningen settled their "coexistence" at Falkenburg Castle in 1427 by means of a truce. Both parties agreed to pledge their shares to subsequent feudal lords. As part of the contractual arrangements, Falkenburg Castle was inspected by building experts and described in detail. Castle inventories have only survived from the period after 1593. Falkenburg Castle served primarily as an administrative centre and was already outdated in terms of defence in the early modern period. French troops conquered the castle in 1699 and blew themselves up on their retreat in the same year. Some of the building material from the ruins was used for Neu-Falkenburg Castle, which was built at the foot of the castle hill but completely demolished. (Jens Friedhoff)
The structural development of the high medieval rock castle still needs to be clarified in detail. A description of the castle dated 1427 provides important information on the late medieval state of the castle. Based on the few surviving humpback ashlars of the keep, the castle was built in the second half of the 12th century or at the beginning of the 13th century. It was destroyed at the end of the 17th century. The panoramic upper castle with its few remains was made accessible to tourists in 1926 by a staircase, which has since been renovated several times. (Jens Friedhoff)
The castle, which can be described as a rock castle, is dominated by a 125 metre long and up to 12 metre wide rock with a height of 20 metres. Only a few remains of a gate tower, which was built behind an artificial moat, are still recognisable. On this side, the curtain wall of the lower castle ran along a narrow mountain terrace, ending in the south at a single rocky outcrop. Cattle troughs, steps leading to a rock terrace and traces of construction on the rock face are clearly recognisable. The findings allow conclusions to be drawn about at least one three-storey building that leaned against the rock face and had an internal staircase leading up to the upper castle. The modern staircase, which has been renovated several times, dates back to 1926. The entrance to the upper castle belongs to the foundation phase of the castle. In the course of construction work, a section of the overhanging rock was altered to make room for the construction of a gateway, behind which a brick passageway continued via a rock staircase. All that remains of the buildings that once stood on the upper castle rock are the cellars carved out of the rock. A rock base is the last remnant of the tower. The partially preserved cistern at the entrance to the core complex was used to supply the castle with water. (Jens Friedhoff)