Burg Enningen

The Burg Enningen once stood on the Schaalberg hill, a 415-metre-high outcrop west of the hamlet of Schaalhof near Braunsbach in the Schwäbisch Hall district. Built in the 12th or 13th century, the castle was already in ruins by 1540. The site lies close to the first section of the Braunsbach walking trail, where only faint traces remain of the mound, the defensive ditch and a small six-metre stretch of foundation.

The lords of Enningen, who gave their name to the fortress, once lived here. Later, a family named Enningen called Eisenhut appeared in Schwäbisch Hall, described in Johann Siebmacher’s heraldic book as both an honourable Swabian-Hällisch family and a Swabian noble house. Their coat of arms featured a knight’s helm of the iron-hat type, linking them to the castle’s vanished owners.

Visitors today walk past the quiet Schaalhof and follow the first stage of the Braunsbach trail. A low grassy mound marks the former stronghold, while the ditch cuts a shallow line across the slope. A single fragment of stonework, six metres long, lies half-buried in the turf, the only standing remnant of the medieval hall. From the hilltop there are wide views over the surrounding farmland and the wooded valley below.