Burg Waseneck

Burg Waseneck stands on a hilltop 606 metres above sea level, 1.25 kilometres west of Altoberndorf in the Neckar valley. Built around 1220 by the dukes of Teck, it once commanded the surrounding countryside. The castle expanded in 1270, then passed to the Maier von Waseneck family who managed it until 1363. After changing hands several times it finally became a ruin by 1460. The remains include large sections of the keep, parts of the main castle, the palace shield wall and an inner courtyard with a well. A deep outer ditch now serves as a forest track. Archaeologists uncovered and restored the foundations between 1968 and 1980. The site still shows traces of the original layout and defensive works. Visitors walk among the stone fragments and look up at the tallest surviving walls. The inner courtyard’s well marks the heart of the old stronghold. From the hilltop there are wide views over the Neckar valley and the Black Forest. The quiet woodland around the ruins adds to the atmosphere of a medieval fortress long abandoned.