Burg Badenweiler

Burg Baden stands on a hill 454.6 metres above sea level in the middle of Badenweiler. The ruins of this former high castle overlook the Kurpark and the village below. It is recognised as the town’s emblem and differs from the nearby Neuenfels ruin.

The hill was settled before the first written record of 1122. Roman soldiers once built a fort here to protect Aqua Villa. Later the Alamanni and then the Franks turned it into a fortress. From 1122 the Zähringer used it to guard their silver mines. After passing through many noble hands, French troops blew up the castle in 1678 and the people took stones from the ruins for their own needs.

A steep path with walled sides leads up to the restored ruin. The three-part great hall shows the castle once had several storeys. The keep can be climbed for views across Badenweiler, the Black Forest and the Vosges. Below, the Kurpark contains the Großherzogliches Palais, a Belvedere built as a tea house, and gardens dedicated to Hildegard of Bingen and the Gutedel grape.