Kaiserburg

The Kaiserburg stands on the Ulrichsberg, a hill 454 metres above sea level near the southern bank of the Danube. It overlooks the river valley from a spur that rises above the floodplain. The ruin lies 1,400 metres north-north-west of St Clemens parish church in Oberhausen, part of Neuburg-Schrobenhausen district. The remains are protected as a listed monument and as an archaeological site. The name comes from Emperor Henry II, who is said to have stayed here once.

The castle was built in the 10th or 11th century, perhaps as late as 1197, by the Counts of Graisbach-Lechsgemünd. They held the easternmost point of their lands south of the Danube from this stronghold. After the Wittelsbachs seized Neuburg county in 1270, the castle was destroyed. It was finally levelled in 1386, leaving only scattered masonry. The walls were made of soft yellowish kieselguhr limestone.

Visitors today see low stretches of wall that still trace the original drop-shaped outline. The inner area measured about 100 metres across, while the outer ramparts reached 300 metres. Summer brings patches of yellow cowslips among the trees that have grown around the ruins. The clear ground plan lets the scale and shape of the medieval fortress be understood at a glance.