Burg Ahegg

Burg Ahegg stands on a hill at 630 metres above sea level in the Deuchelried district of Wangen im Allgäu. It was a small tower castle built by the Lords of Ahegg, who served as ministeriales of St Gallen Abbey in the 14th and 15th centuries. The first written mention of Heinrich der Ahegger dates from 1362, followed by Johans der Ahegger in 1373. The site lies about 130 metres south-west of the present-day Ahegg farm, which may once have been the castle’s grange. Part of the hillside has slipped into the valley of the Untere Argen. The castle appears to have fallen out of use by the late 14th or early 15th century. After that time only the Gut Ahegg estate is recorded. The Lords of Ahegg vanish from local documents once their fortress disappears. Their service to St Gallen Abbey ended as the political landscape changed. Visitors today find a quiet hillside with no visible remains above ground. The farm buildings occupy the former grange site. The surrounding meadows slope gently down to the Argen valley. A footpath crosses the hill, offering views across the Allgäu countryside. The spot is peaceful, with little to mark the vanished castle except the name Ahegg itself.