Burg Tengen

The Hinterburg is a ruined hilltop castle perched on a narrow rock outcrop 610 metres above sea level near the town of Tengen in the district of Konstanz. It was built around 1150 by the Freiherrn of Tengen, who later became counts. The castle once formed part of a long ridge that was divided in the 13th century, creating the separate Hinterburg area. After changing hands several times, it passed to the Teutonic Order’s commandery at Mainau. In 1442 a Swabian league army demolished the castle, and in 1457 Swiss troops finished the job. The castle’s final years were marked by repeated destruction and slow decay. A chronicle by Gerold Edlibach describes the 1457 attack and includes a drawing of old Tengen with its front castle and rear tower. The main castle burned down completely in 1519, and in the 16th century the ruins were still being quarried for stone until about 1850. Today only the keep survives, now reduced from 32 metres to 20 metres tall, standing on a seven-by-seven-metre base. The last count of Nellenburg-Tengen sold the castle and county to Emperor Charles V in 1522, and the remains are now protected as a monument. Visitors reach the site along a short path that leads to the solitary keep. The tower’s thick walls and small windows show how it once defended the ridge. From the outcrop there are wide views over the surrounding countryside toward the Swiss border. The nearby town of Tengen preserves parts of its medieval plan, and the Burgenweg 1 trail passes close by, linking other castle sites in the region.