Burg Schiltau

Burg Schiltau stands as the ruins of a hilltop fortress on a rocky knoll about 610 metres above sea level in Jungnau, a district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg. The site overlooks the Schiltach valley and the surrounding Swabian Alb foothills. Built before the 13th century by the lords of Schiltau, a ministerial family serving the counts of Veringen, the castle was first recorded around 1200. It was destroyed in 1286 during a feud between the Veringers and Rudolf of Habsburg but rebuilt shortly afterwards. By 1316 the castle and its estates had passed to Burkhard von Jungingen, who soon built the nearby Burg Jungnau. The castle’s final mention as a functioning stronghold came in 1344, and by 1423 it was already described as a Burgstall, a deserted site. The ruins measure roughly 55 by 30 metres and once formed a compact rectangular enclosure. After the counts of Werdenberg died out in 1534, the property reverted to the princes of Fürstenberg. Only fragments of the western curtain wall survive, built into later farm buildings. Visitors today find a quiet hilltop clearing where low stone foundations mark the castle’s outline. The western wall rises a few metres above ground, its medieval masonry still visible among modern farm structures. From the site there are wide views across the Schiltach valley and the wooded hills of the Alb. A footpath leads up from the village, passing old farmyards before reaching the open plateau where the castle once stood. The atmosphere is one of gentle decay, with the remains blending into the rural landscape.