Burg Ametshausen

The Burg Ametshausen, also called Schlüsselburg, was a spur castle built on a ridge 579 metres above sea level. It stands 2.4 kilometres north-east of Gutenzell in the Gutenzell-Hürbel district. The site lies on the edge of the hamlet of Niedernzell in a quiet rural landscape. The castle was probably raised in the 12th century by the Ametshausen family and destroyed a century later. The Lords of Schlüsselburg may have taken possession after the first owners. Today only a fragment of the old oval rampart survives as a low earthwork. The field that once held the great hall and towers is now ploughed for crops. Visitors walk a farm track across the gentle slope and see the faint grassy mound where the wall once stood. From the ridge there are wide views over the surrounding farmland and distant woods.