Burg Ellrichshausen

Burg Ellrichshausen once stood near the Protestant church in Ellrichshausen, a village that now belongs to Satteldorf in the Schwäbisch Hall district. The site was the ancestral home of the Lords of Ellrichshausen, first recorded in 1271. They held fiefs from different lords, beginning with the Counts of Loon and later the Princes of Hohenlohe and the Margraves of Ansbach. By the mid-14th century the family had moved away and the castle was already described as a ruined site. The original fortress vanished long ago, leaving no visible remains above ground. Archaeologists have found traces that confirm its former presence, but nothing of the walls or towers survives today. Only the family name lives on in the branch called Assumstadt, which still exists. Written records from the 14th century onwards mention the place as Burgstall, a term for a site where a castle once stood. Today the spot is a quiet grassy area beside the church. A low earthen mound marks where the main tower probably rose. Visitors can stand on the slight rise and look across the village rooftops towards the surrounding farmland. The absence of modern buildings keeps the setting close to what 14th-century travellers would have seen.