Burg Galgenbühl, Dreisamtal-Breisgau

The Burgstall am Galgenbühl stands on a wooded spur of the Galgenbühl hill, 500 metres above sea level, near the village of Burg in Kirchzarten. It is the faint remains of a small medieval spur castle, also called Brandenburg. The name first appeared in the 19th century, formed from the local words Brand and Burg, and has no connection to the castle’s original title. No written records survive that describe the castle or its owners, though it may have belonged to the lords of Falkenstein whose stronghold overlooks the Höllental valley. Another theory links the site to the medieval seat of the Weiler family, ancestors of the Falkensteiners. The hamlet of Burg takes its name not from the castle but from the nearby Iron Age hillfort Tarodunum. The only visible traces today are the low, grassy mound of the former keep and fragments of the surrounding ditch. By the late 19th century a few stretches of wall still stood, but these have since vanished. Archaeologists have found no datable finds, so the castle’s age and purpose remain uncertain. The site lies 300 metres south-east of a second, equally obscure fortification near the same village. Both ruins are silent witnesses to the power struggles of the medieval Breisgau region. Visitors reach the mound by a short path that climbs from the edge of the village. The hilltop offers wide views across the Black Forest foothills and the valley below. The quiet woodland setting makes it easy to imagine the castle’s vanished walls. Nearby footpaths lead on to the Falkenstein ruins, allowing a small circuit of historic sites. The place asks for no more than a gentle stroll and a little curiosity about the past.