The castle stands on a foothill of the Haardt range of sandstone hills which rises abruptly from the Rhine Plain on the north-eastern edge of the Palatinate Forest.

Together with the small village of the same name, immediately to the west, it is 280 metres (920 ft) above sea level, above the right bank of the Eckbach stream.

Below the castle, by the ochre-coloured rocks bordering the winding approach road, the so-called Blitzröhren[1] (literally "lightning pipes") reach the surface.

These are not true fulgurites caused by lightning strikes, but columns of hard, iron-rich mineral exposed by erosion and sintering of the softer sandstone.

Surviving structures include: the outer walls, a gate tower on the western side near the northwest corner of the site, a battery tower with embrasure in the centre of the south side, and the vaulted cellar and foundations of a large dwelling.