In the series of fortified castles of the "Imperial Wetterau" ordered by the Staufian kings at the beginning of the 13th century, Ronneburg Castle occupies a special position. In 1258, an "altar in castro Roneburg" is mentioned. According to this, the castle was built before 1258, i.e. during the lifetime of Gerlach II von Büdingen, who was the imperial bailiff in the Wetterau. It was built on a steep basalt spur of the southern Vogelsberg and served to protect the trade routes in the Maine plain and the Wetterau.
But on this basalt spur there was probably already an even older refuge, whose name "Raneberg" was transferred to the castle of the Hohenstaufen period. The name "Raneberg", or "Roneberg", indicates a mountain fortified with "Ronen", i.e. with old tree trunks.
In 1476 the castle became the property of the princely house of Ysenburg and Büdingen. In the 16th century, the castle was extensively rebuilt by Count Anton zu Ysenburg and his son Count Heinrich zu Ysenburg and was extended to its present state. Thus, the Ronneburg is one of the few hilltop castles in Germany that has been preserved in its original 16th century state and is one of the most important castles in Hesse.
The castle has a 97 m deep well with an old treadwheel to bring up the water. The keep with its idiosyncratic so-called "Welsche Haube" is a special feature in the region. In the historic castle kitchen the fire burns on the open stove when the castle museum is open for visitors. In many rooms you can still admire the paintings from the 16th century.
Already on the ground plan of the castle complex, the inner part stands out clearly with its strong defensive wall, which forms the boundary of the courtyard in the north and south, and to which the keep and the hall building are presented in the east and west. This structure, built purely of quarry stones and without even rudimentary preserved Romanesque forms, can be dated to the 14th century, probably to the 2nd quarter of this century. The keep, the hall and the upper archway belong to this period. The well itself may possibly have been built as early as 1260/70; it is not completely excluded that it belongs to a castle complex that is a few decades older.
The reconstruction of the hall with the addition of the chapel oriel can be dated to the late 14th century. During the first phase of expansion, which took place at about the same time, the hall was surrounded to the west and south by a bailey, and at the same time the gate at the well house was built. The next expansion beyond the core castle took place with the establishment of the later so-called Old Building, which used the northern courtyard façade and was added to it on the outside. This construction dates back to the 15th century. The keep also received its lateral stair tower in this era.
The last significant building phase is recorded in the 16th century, i.e. in the Renaissance, and includes reconstructions and new buildings in the inner castle in the years around 1540 and again around 1570 (New Residential Building, Zinzendorf Building and, from 1576, Keep Helmet), as well as the construction of the extensive outer castle in the years between 1538 and 1555. Due to carelessness, a fire broke out in 1621, which spread from the outer castle to the core castle and there reduced the northeastern wing to rubble, including part of the new buildings.
Since 2000, the core castle has been looked after by the "Friends of Ronneburg" association, which maintains the castle museum, organizes many cultural events and has the necessary restoration and renovation work carried out. Extensive treatises on the history of the Ronneburg can be found in the castle guides by Peter Niess, Burghard Kling and by Dr. Klaus Peter Decker and G. Ulrich Großmann, which are available for purchase at the cash desk of the Ronneburg Museum.