Neidinger Heidenschloss (Burg Jagberg), Donautal

The Heidenschloss is a ruined hilltop castle near Neidingen, a village in the Beuron municipality. It stands on a narrowing ridge 758 metres above sea level, overlooking a steep limestone gorge that feeds into the Danube valley. The site lies about 500 metres north-west of Neidingen, where the land drops sharply on three sides. Archaeologists place its first building phase in the early 12th century, with later expansion in the 13th century. Buckle-shaped stone blocks found on the slope suggest links to the Lords of Ramsberg, who may have built the original Jagberg castle here. In 1446 the brothers Hans and Marquart von Ramsberg sold the ruined stronghold to Märklin von Hausen, and by 1350 the fortress had already fallen out of use. Visitors follow a narrow path through a wide ditch and past the remains of a strong curtain wall fifteen metres thick. Inside, the inner ward covers roughly ten by thirteen metres, its highest point marked by low foundations of a possible tower. Sections of wall still stand along the south-east edge, while the north and west corners show large eroded masonry cores. A shallow hollow in the west hints at a cellar, and scattered stone blocks trace the line of a once-tall enclosing wall that once sealed off the lower courtyard. The east side of this wall uses enormous blocks, showing where builders reinforced the most accessible approach.