The family, probably of Franconian origin and based in the Ortenau, owned wealthy allodial estates and held numerous fiefs from various liege lords, such as the empire, the Prince-Bishopric of Straßburg, the counts of Eberstein as well as the Vogtei of Schwarzach Abbey as an Afterlehen of the burgraves of Nuremberg.

Stables and domestic buildings were razed, and the valuable archives, the basis of numerous legal titles, were destroyed.

The last heir, Jakob von Windeck, was on the return journey of his Junkerfahrt, which had taken him through France, Spain and Italy to Palestine, when he was taken seriously ill and died in Venice in 1592.

The smaller, northern bergfried, with a ground plan measuring 8.5 metres square, guarded the castle gate and the downhill side of the site.

At the foot of the castle ruins are the hotel and restaurant, Burg Windeck, and the Pferdestall snack bar.