Meersburg Castle

Burg Meersburg stands on a rocky outcrop above Lake Constance in Baden-Württemberg. The castle’s central tower, Dagobertturm, rises from foundations that may date to the 7th century, though its present form belongs to later centuries. Below, the Lower City of Meersburg spreads out along the shoreline, while the rest of the town climbs the hillside to meet the castle at the same level. The castle is known locally as the Alte Burg to distinguish it from the nearby New Castle built in the 18th century. Its position gives sweeping views across the lake to the Swiss and Austrian Alps on clear days. The castle’s long history includes ownership by Merovingian kings, Carolingian counts and medieval prince-bishops. Dagobert I is said to have built the first keep around 630, though records from the 12th century first mention the name Meersburg. Prince-Bishops of Constance made the castle their main residence from the late 15th century until the New Castle was completed. In 1334 the castle withstood the first use of cannons in a German siege, and in the 15th century Bishop Heinrich IV punished the town for rebellion by executing its leaders. The stepped gable on the tower was added by Bishop Hugo von Hohenlandenberg in the early 16th century. Visitors walk through rooms once used by bishops and poets. The Dagobertturm still shows its massive stonework, while the stepped gable on its roof marks the 16th-century remodelling. Inside, the castle houses a museum with portraits, weapons and furniture from its centuries as a residence. The outer walls enclose a courtyard where bishops once received guests, and the terraces offer views over the lake and the town below. The poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff lived here in the 19th century, and her former apartments are preserved. The castle’s stone staircases and vaulted chambers give a sense of how power and culture were organised in medieval and early modern Germany.