Burgstall Alte Burg

The Alte Burg stands on a narrow ridge above Unterregenbach, a village on the edge of the Jagst valley. It was a small fort built in the early Middle Ages to protect people when danger threatened. The site covers just 1.44 hectares and today shows only low banks of earth and shallow ditches. The ridge drops steeply on two sides, where the Fuchsklinge and Totensteigebach valleys meet the Jagst. Excavations by archaeologists from the University of Tübingen have uncovered traces of a lime kiln, charcoal and animal bones. Among the finds were pieces of medieval tiles and pottery, and even objects from the Bronze Age. These discoveries show that people came to the ridge long before the fort was built. The fort itself seems to have been used only in times of trouble, from about the eighth century until the 14th. Visitors walk along grassy paths that follow the old ramparts and ditches. From the ridge there are wide views over the Jagst valley and the roofs of Unterregenbach below. The quiet fields and woods around the site give a sense of how the land once shaped the lives of those who sheltered here.