Entenstein Castle (german: Schloss Entenstein) is a medieval castle surrounded by a moat situated in the center of the town of

Schliengen Schliengen is a municipality in southwestern Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg, in the '' Kreis'' (district) of Lörrach. Schliengen's claim to international fame is the Battle of Schliengen (24 October 1796), fought between forces of th ...

. Schliengen is located in the district of

Lörrach Lörrach () is a town in southwest Germany, in the valley of the Wiese, close to the French and the Swiss borders. It is the capital of the district of Lörrach in Baden-Württemberg. It is the home of a number of large employers, including the ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

, in the very south-west of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in the proximity of the Black Forrest. The origins of the castle can not be clearly dated. The first use of a building at this location can be traced to Walter of Schliengen in 821. By 1000 a

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...

might have been in use. In the 13th century, Rudolf von Üsenberg (1207-1231) was the owner of the castle. The name of the castle derives from the German words "Ente" and "Stein", which means duck and stone. By 1525, Entenstein belonged to the nobles of Nagel von der Alten Schönstein and was thus transformed to a more representative manor house. In 1725 Johann Conrad of Reinach-Hirtzbach, then Prince Bishop of

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

, bought Entenstein castle and used it as the seat of the Upper Bailiwick of Schliengen. In 1805, Entenstein Castle became a district site of the

Grand Duchy of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden (german: Großherzogtum Baden) was a state in the southwest German Empire on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918. It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subs ...

. After 1857 Entenstein Castle which was then in the possession of the counts of Andlau, an old German noble house, was reconstructed. In 1970 Entenstein Castle was purchased by the Community of Schliengen and renovated thereafter. Since 1975 it has functioned as city hall of the community of Schliengen.

References

{{Authority control Water castles in Germany City and town halls in Germany