Burg Ellhofen

Burg Ellhofen is a ruined hilltop castle standing 760 metres above sea level on a small hill above the Ellhofer Tobelbach valley, about one kilometre south of the village of Ellhofen in the West Allgäu region of Swabia. The medieval stronghold once formed a regular square of eighteen metres on each side, protected by outer walls and a zwinger. A stone tablet marks part of the six-metre-long and two-and-a-half-metre-high surviving wall. The castle’s history begins in 1287 when the lords of Ellhofen decided to abandon their old seat near the Tobelmühle and build a new one. In 1418 the fortress gained low justice rights, but after the male line died out in 1446 the property passed through several hands. Wilhelm von Neidegg bought it in 1475 for 1600 gulden, yet the castle was sacked in 1525 during the Peasants’ War. The Deutschritterorden acquired it in 1562, but Swedish troops burned it in 1634 and it has remained uninhabited since. Today only scattered masonry remains, including the base of a square bergfried on the western side and the remnants of the main buildings. Two broad ditches, probably dug by hand, encircle the hill. The old farmyard survives as a house, and a plaque on the surviving wall recalls the site’s past. From the hilltop there are views across the valley towards Weiler-Simmerberg.