Burgstall Bittelschieß

Burgstall Bittelschieß stands on a low hill above the Kehlbach and Andelsbach rivers, just north-east of the village of Bittelschieß in the municipality of Krauchenwies. The hill, formed by Rhine glacier gravels in the last ice age, rises between 600 and 660 metres above sea level. A medieval mill once stood below the site, and nearby a Celtic ring-wall can still be traced. The name Bittelschieß probably comes from an old German word for a judge’s junior assistant and the local word for a sharp angle in the land.

The site was first mentioned in 1083 when Bertholdeus de Bittelschieß witnessed a monastery charter. His family held the land until the 15th century, serving as witnesses for church foundations and receiving gifts from bishops. By the 13th century the family had moved to a new castle, leaving the old hilltop site to decay. Excavations have uncovered hallstatt-era grave goods and 13th-century stove tiles, showing the site’s long use.

Today only a flat-topped mound remains, scarred by gravel digging that has almost levelled the hill. A local road sign still bears the name Burgstraße, and the village arms—a silver bucket above a red field with a golden stag—recall the lords who once ruled from the hill. The Burgstallgoischter carnival club keeps the memory alive with its ‘Burgstallgoischt’ figure, linking past and present in the village below.