Ronneburg () is both a castle and a municipality in the district of Main-Kinzig, in Hessen, Germany. The town is most notable for being the site of Ronneburg castle. Geography The town is built near a steep basalt cone, on top of which a castle was built in the 13th century. Because of this, the area is called the "Ronneburger Hügelland," the "Ronneburg Hill Country." The castle, and the hill its sits on top of, can be seen in the town's coat of arms. The municipality consists of three villages: Neuwiedermuß (pop. 650), Altwiedermus (pop. 750), and Hüttengesäß (pop. 2200). Neighboring cities On the north, Ronneburg borders the city of Büdingen, and on the east, Ronneburg borders the municipality of Gründau, which comprises several towns. On its southern side, Ronneburg borders the town of Langenselbold, and in the west the town borders the municipality of Hammersbach. History of the villages Hüttengesäß first appears in historical records during the 13th century under the control of the monastery of Sebold. In later times possession of Hüttengesäß passed with the castle. In 1643 Wiedermus suffered destruction at the same time the castle was sacked (see below) and was later rebuilt. The three villages have different endings to their names because in the past they had been divided among Prussia (Neuwiedermuß and Hüttengesäß) and the Grand Duchy of Hesse (Altwiedermus) which had different spelling conventions. History of the castle The castle and the surrounding town were first mentioned in a historical context in the year 1258, and other sources may refer to it as early as 1231. The castle's earlier names, Raneburg, and also Roneburg, likely derive from the old High German word "Rone," which means a fallen tree. This is likely a reference to the castle's attached palisades. At the end of the 13th century, the castle was acquired by the Barons of Ysenberg-Büdingen, who were affiliated with the Hohenlohe family. One of the members of the Hohenlohe family, Gottfried III of Hohenlohe-Brauneck, sold the castle in 1313, to the archbishop of Mainz. The castle was mortgaged to the knights of Rockenburg, under whose influence the castle was expanded. Then, from 1339 until 1356, the castle was again a possession of the archbishopric of Mainz. During this time, several buildings at the castle were expanded, and a few new buildings were built as well. The castle was mortgaged again in 1424, this time