Burg Strenger Felsen

Burg Strenger Felsen is a ruined hilltop castle near Degerfelden, a district of Rheinfelden in the Lörrach district. It stands on a Muschelkalk rock at 388 metres above sea level, east of Degerfelden and west of the Strengen Felsen. The site overlooks the steep drop of the Wolfsgraben to the west. The municipal boundary between Degerfelden and Nollingen runs along the higher hilltop called Auf dem Neuhaus. In the north lies the area known as Schloßhalde. The castle’s trapezoidal shape was rediscovered in 1926. Only low stretches of wall remain, once up to two metres thick and built with two shells of Muschelkalk rubble. The west wall measures about twenty-six metres, the north wall twelve metres, the south wall eight metres, and the east wall twenty-five metres. A single entrance, 1.95 metres wide, pierces the north end of the west wall. A protective mortar screed was added to the top of the walls to slow weathering. The site may date back to the 9th century as a refuge fortification. A 1345 deed mentions the castle, and the Lords of Tegerfelden-Rheinfelden are linked to it. They also owned a vanished castle in Degerfelden’s centre. Conflicts with Rudolf of Habsburg in the 13th century and the murder of King Albrecht in 1309 led to the destruction of many local strongholds. The Strenger Felsen is also called Eulenburg or Altes Schloss, and its final fate—whether the 1356 earthquake or earlier events—remains uncertain.