Schnabelburg

The Schnabelburg stands on a western spur of land 350 metres north-east of Ludwigshafen church, part of Bodman-Ludwigshafen by the Bodensee. It was a small hilltop fort built on a rocky platform of about 600 square metres. Today no walls, towers or foundations remain above ground. The site was first recorded in medieval texts from the 12th century. Archaeologists found traces of a wooden palisade and a stone gateway during digs in the 1970s. These remains show the builders chose the spur for its natural defence and wide views over the lake and surrounding hills. Visitors walk a short path from the churchyard to the spur’s flat top. From there the lake stretches north and west while the Alps rise in the distance. Interpretive signs explain how the castle once looked and how it guarded the old road along the shore.