Burg Hohenbregenz

The ruins of Burg Hohenbregenz stand on the Gebhardsberg, a hill 598 metres above Bregenz. The hill commands wide views over Lake Constance, making it a popular excursion spot. The medieval stronghold was built in the late 11th century by the Counts of Bregenz before 1097.

The fortress changed hands several times: in 1143 to the Counts of Pfullendorf, then in 1170 to the Count of Tübingen, and finally to the Habsburgs in 1451 and 1523. Swedish troops took the rebuilt fortress without a fight in 1647 and destroyed it with five mines the same year. Only parts of the ring wall and palace survive today.

Inside the former palace stands the pilgrimage church of St Gebhard, built in 1723. The church was burnt in 1791 and rebuilt the same year, then decorated with frescoes by Gebhard Fugel in 1896–97. Nearby is the Burggaststätte, a restaurant installed in 1964, where a cannon from the Thirty Years’ War and a Gothic ceiling from Rankweil can be seen.