Meistersel Castle is a ruined castle near Ramberg on the outskirts of the Palatinate Forest. It is located on a 492-metre-high hilltop that towers above the Modenbach valley near the Three Beeches pass (Drei Buchen) on the road from Ramberg to Edenkoben.
Meistersel Castle is one of the oldest castles in the Palatinate. It was built in the 11th century and mentioned first time in 1100 and it was probably built to protect Trifels imperial castle. In the 12th century, the Meistersel was given as a fief to knightly servants. The core of today's complex was built around 1300 after fundamental renovation work. During the Peasants' War in 1525 the castle was looted by rebels and subsequently abandoned.
Its name is derived from the words Meister ('master') and Saal ('hall') and hence the term Meister des Saales or master of the hall/chamberlain. It is likely that it was a seat for ministeriales of the imperial castle of Trifels. Its other name, Modeneck, comes from the name of the nearby stream.
The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.