Neipperg Castle

Burg Neipperg is a hilltop castle in the village of Neipperg, now part of Brackenheim in the Heilbronn district. Built in the 12th century, it was the ancestral seat of the Neipperg family, later elevated to counts. The castle stands on a spur above the surrounding vineyards and farmland, its two towers rising above dense woodland. Two separate towers mark different building phases. The older lower tower, about 20 metres tall with walls 2.5 metres thick, has a garderobe projecting from its east side and an entrance 10 metres above ground reached by a balcony. The taller upper tower, 26 metres high, served as a residential keep with a hall, fireplace and a small prison below. A 16th-century palas and a 1579 steward’s house complete the surviving structures, all enclosed by a square curtain wall. Visitors walk among the ruins of the upper ward, where the palas contains a large hall with a Gothic triple window and a chapel dedicated to Saint George in its cellar. The lower ward is largely overgrown, but the massive lower tower remains impressive. Views extend across the rolling countryside of the Kraichgau region, linking the castle’s medieval past with the present vineyards below.