Burg Vohenstein

Burg Vohenstein stands on a low hill above the hamlet of Vohenstein in Rosengarten, Schwäbisch Hall district. The site once held a medieval castle built by the Lords of Vohenstein, a knightly family first recorded in 1286. These knights belonged to the Franconian and Swabian knightly circles and died out in the male line in 1737. All that remains today is the grassy mound of the former keep and the deep neck ditch cut across the hilltop. The ruins tell of a once important local power centre. The Vohenstein family served the counts of Limpurg as ministeriales and held seats in the regional knightly assemblies. After the family vanished, the site was abandoned and later used for farming. In 1561 the small settlement of Vohenstein was laid out directly beneath the old castle hill. Visitors walk up a quiet farm track to the wooded mound. A shallow ditch still marks where the outer defences once stood. From the top there are wide views over the gentle Franconian countryside. The hill is now part of a working farm, so the surroundings feel rural rather than touristy.