Burg Neuenstein

The Burg Neuenstein is a ruined hilltop castle on a 440-metre ridge of the Kleiner Schärtenkopf above the village of Hubacker in Lautenbach. It was built around 1322 by the Counts of Freiburg and destroyed in 1609. The Lords of Neuenstein later owned the site, but today only scattered masonry remains. A second castle called Alt-Neuenstein may once have stood on the right bank of the Rench above Hubacker. That older fortress is thought to have been the ancestral seat of the Lords of Neuenstein, first recorded in 1123. The ruins lie on a spur that commands wide views over the Ortenau region. A small tower base and sections of curtain wall still rise from the earth, showing the castle’s former scale. The site is reached by a short walk from the edge of Hubacker through mixed woodland. The path climbs gently, passing moss-covered stones that hint at the fortress’s vanished halls. Visitors often find fragments of pottery and ironwork scattered among the undergrowth. At the summit the surviving walls frame sweeping vistas of the Black Forest’s foothills. The Rench valley unfolds to the east, while the spires of Lautenbach appear to the north. The quiet air is broken only by birdsong and the rustle of leaves. The ruins stand as a reminder of the Counts of Freiburg’s brief tenure and the Lords of Neuenstein’s longer association. From this vantage point it is easy to understand why the site was chosen for defence centuries ago.