On a steep valley shoulder above the village of Alken on the Moselle, the ruins of Thurant Castle rise on a broad slate spur. In the 13th century, the double castle was jointly owned by the archbishoprics of Cologne and Trier, which left its administration to a castle count. After initial destruction at the beginning of the 16th century, Thurant Castle fell into complete ruin after the Palatinate War of Succession. It was not until 1914 that it passed into private ownership and was partly rebuilt in the following years. The cultural monument, which is protected under the Rhineland-Palatinate Monument Protection Act, can be visited on a guided tour between March and mid-November.
