Burg Neu-Sunthausen

Burg Neu-Sunthausen stands as the remains of a hilltop castle at 770 metres above sea level on the north-eastern side of the Kiltel valley. It lies about two kilometres south-east of Hausen, a district of Geisingen in the Tuttlingen district of Baden-Württemberg. The site was built in the late 13th century by the low-ranking Sunthausen family. By 1413 the fortress had passed to the Reischach family, who also held the small Stettener Schlösschen to the south. In the mid-15th century Hans von Rechberg took possession before the town of Schaffhausen destroyed the stronghold in 1446 during a feud. Only fragments of the old walls survive today. The castle once guarded a neck ditch between 20 and 30 metres wide and 15 to 20 metres deep. After its ruin, the Reischach family regained control and sold the site in 1588 to the Fürstenberg counts. Historians Arthur Hauptmann and Hans-Wilhelm Heine have both described the remains in regional studies of medieval fortifications. Visitors find low stretches of masonry scattered across the grassy hilltop. The wide valley views stretch towards the Black Forest on clear days. A short walk from Hausen leads up to the quiet ruin. The site offers a quiet place to stand among the stones and imagine the castle’s past.