Burg Leofels

Burg Leofels is a ruined spur castle from the Staufer period standing on a narrow ridge 405 metres above sea level. It overlooks the Jagst valley near Ilshofen in Baden-Württemberg. The site commands the north-west tip of a spur between the Leofelser Bach and a small southern bay of the Jagst. Below the ruins the scattered hamlet of Leofels climbs gently southward across farmland towards the Ilshofen plain. Across the river to the north lies the old mill hamlet of Hessenau, reached by a steep road that drops down to the valley floor. The castle was built about 1240–50 and first mentioned in 1208. It passed from Würzburg’s bishop to Ulrich III of Württemberg in 1333. Haug von Vellberg occupied it from 1399 and bought it as a Württemberg fief in 1409. The Vellbergs held the castle until 1592, when it reverted to Württemberg and was probably abandoned soon after. Lightning struck the buildings in 1707 and, once saleable materials had been removed in the 19th century, the ruins collapsed rapidly. The bergfried was taken down in the 18th century. Today the castle offers a well-preserved shield wall of bossed ashlar blocks, dated about 1230. Summer visitors can attend theatre performances or concerts in the open ruins. The surrounding farmland and wooded valley provide quiet walks, while the restored site gives a clear view of the Jagst valley and the distant Ilshofen plain.