Burgstall Gabelstein

The Burgstall Gabelstein is the remains of a spur castle perched on the edge of the Waldenburger Mountains. It stands near Michelbach am Wald, a village on the edge of Öhringen in the Hohenlohe district of Baden-Württemberg. The site occupies the tip of a long, wooded ridge that rises above the valley of the upper Rechtenbach. The castle first appears in records in 1253 with the knight called Herr Gabele. By 1327 the Hohenlohe family had bought the outer ward, though the inner parts remained in shared ownership. By the mid-14th century the whole stronghold belonged to Hohenlohe, but once it lost its military value it was abandoned. Later it became a haunt of robbers and was deliberately dismantled. Its stones were reused in 1753 to build Michelbach’s church. Today only earthworks and a few trenches mark where the castle once stood. The main stronghold sat on the narrow summit, fed by the Schlossbrunnen spring still visible on the slope. A deep ditch, fifteen metres wide and ten metres deep, once guarded the entrance. A ruined tower and outer courtyard lie below, all surrounded by dense forest. The ridge drops steeply on every side, giving sweeping views over the Hohenlohe plain.