Burgstall Burgselberg

The Burgstall Burgselberg stands on a wooded hilltop near Steinebach am Wörthsee in Upper Bavaria. It was a small medieval hilltop castle built in the 12th or 13th century on a spur 625 metres above sea level. The site overlooks the Wörthsee and the surrounding countryside from its position 225 metres north-east of St Martin’s parish church. Archaeologists classify it as a high-medieval spur castle and list it as a protected monument in the Bavarian monument register. Only earthworks remain today, marking the outline of a rectangular enclosure. The ruins are worth visiting for anyone interested in medieval military architecture. The castle was never large, but it controlled an important route along the lake. Historians believe it belonged to local nobles who administered the area for the Wittelsbach dukes. Written records are scarce, yet the surviving ramparts show how the builders shaped the hill to create a defensible platform. The site offers a quiet place to imagine how the fortress once looked before it fell into disuse. Visitors find a low grassy bank that traces the original walls. The enclosure measures roughly twenty metres by twenty metres inside. From the top of the hill there are wide views over the Wörthsee and the wooded ridges beyond. A short woodland path leads up from the church car park to the earthworks. The site is unfenced and open all year, so walkers can stand on the old ramparts and look across the lake.