Burg Rüdenberg

Burg Rüdenberg stands as the ruin of a hilltop castle above the Waldach stream near Unterwaldach, a hamlet in the Waldachtal municipality. It rises thirty to forty metres above the valley floor on a spur where the Weiherbach stream meets the Waldach. A few houses line the road called Am Rüdenberg south of Unterwaldach’s built-up area. The castle was probably built between 1220 and 1250 by the Kecheler von Rüdenberg. In 1406 it passed to Ruprecht III of the Palatinate, and in 1440 it came under Württemberg. Remains include walls of the former keep and traces of the defensive curtain to north and south, while charred beam ends mark the spot where fire destroyed the tower. Visitors find sections of the old bergfried still standing, with weathered masonry and soot-blackened corbels. A low earthen rampart and a neck ditch toward the ridge hint at the former defences. The quiet woodland setting and distant views over the valley reward a short walk from the road.