Burg Weiler (Münzdorf)

Burg Weiler stands on a 649.9-metre hill called the Kalvarienberg, south of Burg Derneck above the Lauter valley and north of Münzdorf, a district of Hayingen in the Reutlingen district. The site is a former hilltop castle whose builders were probably the Lords of Gundelfingen between 1100 and 1150. Pottery finds point to this period, yet the castle seems to have been abandoned before 1200 and left to decay. In 1825 it was recorded as the Käfle and Burgstall, later becoming property of the town of Hayingen. The summit plateau measures only five by four metres, so only a small watch or living tower could have stood there. About eight metres below, a wall-and-ditch system once encircled the hilltop on three sides. Clear traces of this earthwork survive today. Archaeologists recognise the site as a typical early medieval spur castle built for defence and control of the valley. Visitors reach the hill by a footpath from Münzdorf. The remains lie within farmland and woodland, quiet except for birdsong and the wind. The Kalvarienberg offers wide views over the Lauter valley and towards the Derneck ruins. On the summit, low stone foundations mark where the tower once stood. The surviving ramparts run along the edge of the plateau, giving a sense of the castle’s compact size and strategic position.