Burg Leinstetten

Burg Leinstetten was a medieval water castle built beside the Heimbach stream in Leinstetten, now part of Dornhan. Its stone house stood on a low hill above a walled garden near the village. The first walls and moat were added in the 13th century, with a drawbridge crossing the water-filled ditch. The castle passed through several noble families. In 1474 the Bubenhofen family received the estate as an Austrian fief. By 1783 the Strasbourg patrician Philipp Jakob von Frank owned it and removed the high wall and moat. After 1838 the upper floors were demolished, leaving only the old cellars. The von Frank family vault lies in the wood south-west of the site. Visitors today see grassy mounds marking the former tower and garden walls. The cellars survive underground, once storing wine and hiding otters that drank from milk churns. Nearby meadows still shelter these animals, reminding walkers of the old castle’s daily life.