Burgstelle Espach

The Burgstelle Espach stands on a hilltop 678.7 metres above sea level north of Mühlheim an der Donau. The site is the remains of a vanished hill castle, once possibly called Freudeneck. No written records survive, but the name Espach comes from a nearby field of the same name. A later mention in 1610 refers to an acre called Auf Freudeneck on the Scheibenbühl. The first clear reference to a castle here appears in 1879, when it was described as a storage place for building materials during the construction of the Maria Hilf pilgrimage church between 1754 and 1756. The surviving earthworks form a horseshoe-shaped rampart with an outer ditch and an additional outer bank. At the highest point of the site, right beside the main rampart, lie piles of rubble. These mark the spot where a building once stood, perhaps a tower on the side most exposed to attack. The layout shows a typical spur castle designed to control the surrounding Danube valley. Visitors walk along grassy paths that follow the old ramparts and ditches. The hilltop offers wide views over the Danube plain and the surrounding Alb foothills. The site is quiet, with only the wind and birds breaking the silence. A small information board explains what once stood on the hill. The remains are modest but give a clear sense of how the castle once defended this stretch of the upper Danube.