The Willenburg, also called the ''Schlössle'', is a

ruined Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

hill castle A hill castle or mountain castle is a castle built on a natural feature that stands above the surrounding terrain. It is a term derived from the German ''Höhenburg'' used in categorising castle sites by their topographical location. Hill castles a ...

near

Schiltach Schiltach is a town in the district of Rottweil, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in the eastern Black Forest, on the river Kinzig, 20 km south of Freudenstadt. Geography Schiltach lies on the eastern side of the Black Forest ...

in the county of Rottweil in the German state of

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 ...

Location

The castle lies around 2 kilometres outside Schiltach at above the old pass road to Rottweil, the so-called '' Schiltacher Steige'', in the direction of

Aichhalden Aichhalden is a municipality in the district of Rottweil, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Geography Geographical location Aichhalden is located in the east of the Black Forest. Its around 640 to 720 meters above sea level. It borders on Sch ...

in the

Black Forest The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...

History

The ruin is the remnant of a high medieval castle that had been forgotten, but was rediscovered in 1959 by the

Friends of Nature Friends of Nature (international abbreviation: NFI, for German: Naturfreunde International) is a non-profit organisation with a background in the social democratic movement, which aims to make the enjoyment of nature accessible to the wider commun ...

from Schiltach following speculation of its existence. It was probably built around 1100, its owners initially being either the first

dukes of Teck Duke of Teck is a title which was created twice in Germanic lands. It was first borne from 1187 to 1439 by the head of a cadet line of the German ducal House of Zähringen, known as the "first House of Teck". The ''caput'' of his territory was Te ...

, who were a side line of the House of Zähringen, or even the dukes of Zähringen, themselves. Willenburg Backofen

The Willenburg was built to cater for travellers. Road tolls were raised here as the old transport route over to Rottweil was monitored here. So the Willenburg may also be seen as the predecessor to the castle and town of Schiltach, which took on these functions in 1250. A town with its associated castle was able to carry out these tasks more effectively. From that time the Willenburg fell into decay. So in the

Late Middle Ages The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...

it was already being referred to as the Willenburg '' Burgstall'', which indicates a lost or levelled castle.

Description

During excavations between 1959 and 1970 the foundations and wall sections of a castle were uncovered whose dimensions were 36 by 20 metres. Pieces of pottery were also found that enabled the castle to be dated. Today the wall remains, ramparts and a 30.3-metre-deep

castle well A castle well was a water well built to supply drinking water to a castle. It was often the most costly and time-consuming element in the building of a castle, and its construction time could span decades. The well – as well as any available cis ...

are visible. The ''Museum am Markt'' in Schiltach has an exhibition about the excavations on the Willenburg.

Literature

* Friedrich-Wilhelm Krahe: ''Burgen des deutschen Mittelalters – Grundriss-Lexikon''. Sonderausgabe, Flechsig Verlag, Würzburg 2000, , p. 670; {{Authority control