Burg Alt-Lichtenstein

The Burg Alt-Lichtenstein stands as a ruined spur castle on a steep rock outcrop of the Swabian Alb, 800 metres above sea level. It overlooks the Echaz valley near the village of Lichtenstein in the Reutlingen district. A short distance away, on the same cliff, the fairy-tale Schloss Lichtenstein rises above the hamlet of Honau. The ruins sit on a narrow rock crest that falls away steeply to the valley floor. The castle was built between 1150 and 1200, probably by Gebhard of Lichtenstein. It was destroyed twice: first in 1311 during a war against Count Eberhard I of Württemberg, then again between 1377 and 1381 in the Swabian Town War. After 1389 the ruins passed to Württemberg and were never rebuilt. Archaeologists uncovered the masonry in the 1990s, revealing parts of the curtain wall and a massive shield wall with traces of a tower. Visitors reach the site along a path cut into the rock. On the north side a triangular outer ward leads to the inner bailey, where a cistern still holds water. The remains of the 15.4-metre-long shield wall stand 6.8 and 7.5 metres from the curtain wall, showing the base of a tower-like keep. Beyond the bailey, steps lead to an outer terrace of rock, offering wide views across the valley.