Burg Trochtelfingen

The Burg Trochtelfingen stands on a hill 779 metres above sea level north of the town of Trochtelfingen in the Reutlingen district. Built in the first half of the 12th century by the Lords of Trochtelfingen, it served as their ancestral seat within an earlier prehistoric site. The core of the castle measured 9 by 26 metres and was surrounded by a wall and a moat.

Only the earthen rampart, the dry ditch and the late 17th-century Marienkapelle remain today. The chapel was added in 1660 as a place of worship for the small garrison. Archaeologists have found medieval pottery and metalwork on the slopes, showing how the fortress once bustled with daily life.

Visitors walk along the grassy rampart and peer down into the deep ditch that once held water. The small rectangular chapel with its plain stone walls and small round window still stands intact. From the hilltop there are wide views over the surrounding farmland and towards the Swabian Alb. The site is quiet, with only the wind and birds breaking the silence.