Heidenburgwarte

The Heidenburgwarte stands on the Kreimberg summit in the Heidenburger forest, high above the village of Kreimbach-Kaulbach. It crowns a former Roman hilltop fort built in about 260 AD to guard against Alemanni raids. Earlier, around 400 BC, Kelts had raised a refuge fort with a ring wall on the same spot. Excavations that began in 1890 uncovered the site’s long layers of occupation.

Archaeologists found enough Roman stonework to build a small lookout tower, the Heidenburgwarte, roughly four metres tall. Fragments of the original ring wall still trace the fort’s outline, while the tower offers a clear view across the surrounding countryside. Pottery recovered from the site suggests the fort remained in use until the 5th century.

Visitors walk through quiet woodland to reach the tower, where stone steps lead to the top. The ruins lie open to the sky, and the tower’s simple platform gives wide views over the Lauter valley. The contrast between the ancient stones and the modern forest makes the place feel both remote and historic.