Burg Reichenau

The Burg Reichenau once stood high on an 821-metre plateau that juts out from the Alb plateau near Münsingen. Built around 1100 by the noble von Gruorn family, it commanded wide views over the surrounding countryside. By 1300 the stone walls had crumbled and the site was abandoned, leaving only grassy banks where towers once rose. Historians recognise the ruins as an important example of early Swabian hilltop castles. The von Gruorn line, mentioned in 12th-century charters, built the fortress to control trade routes across the Alb. After it fell into disuse, local farmers used the stones for barns and cottages, so little remains above ground today. Visitors walk a quiet farm track to the wooded crest where the castle once stood. Wild thyme and juniper grow among the low earthworks that mark the outer ditch and inner rampart. On clear days the view stretches to the twin peaks of the Achalm and the city spires of Reutlingen in the distance. The only sounds are skylarks and the wind through the beech trees that now cover the site.