Greifenstein Castle – Landmark of the Lahn-Dill Region – Illuminated Again

Inspiration for the Project

Inspired by the “Herbstlabyrinth” Cave in Breitscheid, and, in particular, by the effect of light – the “Greifenstein-Verein”, a registered association, tasked the company CaveLighting with the replacement of Greifenstein Castle’s exterior lighting a year ago.

After an exciting renovation phase in autumn 2019, the project has been completed for now, fascinating both owners and visitors.

Especially the castle’s impressive double towers have been put into new light and can now clearly be seen from the A 45 (German autobahn). In addition, the new lighting system is very energy-efficient.

Greifenstein Anniversary and Inauguration of New Lighting System

The lighting system was officially put into operation just in time for the 50th anniversary of the “Greifenstein-Verein”. Together with the sponsors of the project, the ceremony took place in the castle’s fireplace room.

During the ceremony, the District Administrator [Landrat] and association chairman, Wolfgang Schuster, proudly presented the new fascinating illumination of the important national monument.

Sustainable Investment / Costs

The costs amounting to nearly 50,000 Euros were not financially viable for the association. The project was only made possible by the support of numerous sponsors who invested more than 40,000 Euros.

For the association and for everyone involved, however, one thing is certain: The new illumination system for the region’s landmark is a sustainable and future-oriented investment. Furthermore, the owner, the “Greifenstein-Verein”, thus contributes to environmental protection.

Technical Details and Installation

1,000 meters of cable – 39 outdoor LEDs – 4 lighting groups

In September, CaveLighting installed the basic equipment at Greifenstein Castle, which can be successively expanded.

The lamps were fixed to the outer walls by means of stainless steel bars and fiber-glass reinforced poles, in part by using larger poles with many lights attached.

We recommended to only use two light colors: neutral white and cool white. The castle’s large walls were illuminated in cool white, contrasting with its windows that were illuminated in neutral white.

So far, it has neither been possible to develop a detailed overview of costs nor to separate electricity consumption. In order to be able to continually evaluate the  consumption of the castle lighting, we additionally installed three electricity meters.

Advantages of the Lighting System and Electricity Savings

A major advantage of the new system is the lighting control by means of an astronomical clock depending on sunrise and sunset. However, the system can still be controlled manually.

The electricity savings the project entails are not to be underestimated: The power consumption of the replaced lighting system, whose obsolete floodlights were hardly used in the long run, amounted to 4 to 5 kilowatt, the “new” consumption amounts to only 458 watt.

Planned Enhancements

Further enhancements, which so far have not been able to be realized for cost reasons, include the replacement of two obsolete halogen spotlights in front of the bulwark “Dragon” [Bollwerk “Drache”].

It is planned to gradually install new lighting fixtures for other parts of the building too.

In order to be able to implement these plans, the “Greifenstein-Verein” would be grateful for further donations.