Burgruine Buchhorn

Burgruine Buchhorn stands on a narrow ridge in the Limpurger mountains west of Schwäbisch Hall. The site sits at 463 metres above sea level on a spur called the Nordkuppe, separated from the main ridge by the Adelbach valley. A few scattered farmsteads still bear the name Buchhorn, some clinging to the lower slopes, others on the crest. One house stands directly in front of one of the neck ditches that once guarded the approach. The fortress belonged first to the counts of Öttingen, who sold it in 1357 to the Schenken of Limpurg for four thousand pounds of Heller. The new owners enfeoffed the Berler family of Tullau, but by the 14th century the castle had become a haunt of robber knights. Fearing raids on Schwäbisch Hall, the town council ordered its destruction. According to local chronicler Heinrich Prescher, the garrison set fire to the buildings themselves and fled before the order could be carried out. Today only the twin neck ditches, ramparts and faint ground traces remain of the medieval stronghold. The steep slopes on three sides once formed natural defences, while the south-east side was protected by man-made ditches and banks. A modern house now occupies part of the outer ward, but the ruins and their setting still show how the site once commanded the surrounding valleys.