Because of its unique shape, the Münzenberg castle ruins are also affectionately known as the Wetterau inkwell. The silhouette is characterised by the two large round keep, high gables and massive walls. Today’s landmark of the Wetterau region, Münzenberg Castle was one of ten castles built between the 11th and 13th centuries to symbolise the Staufer claim to power and is considered one of the most important Romanesque castle complexes in this country. The castle was built in the middle of the 12th century by Kuno von Hagen-Arnsburg, whose family was directly subordinate to the Staufers as imperial ministers and had close ties to Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa. As lord of the castle, he subsequently called himself Kuno von Münzenberg.
