Burg Laufenburg

Burg Laufenburg stands on a small gneiss rock above the former Little Laufen waterfall on the right bank of the Rhine. It overlooks the railway station of Laufenburg in the Waldshut district of Baden-Württemberg. The site now holds a war memorial topped by a large bronze eagle on the so-called Warrior Rock. Nearby is the portal of the Rappenstein tunnel built for the Hochrhein railway by Johann Belzer. The ruined castle should not be confused with the much larger Habsburg-Laufenburg castle on the opposite bank. The fortress was probably erected in the mid-11th century by the Lords of Lenzburg and first recorded in 1173. In 1207 Abbess Bertha of Säckingen enfeoffed Rudolf II of Habsburg with both castles, receiving ten pounds of wax each year in return. The Habsburg ministerial family of Ofteringen later occupied the site. In 1428 Heinrich of Erzingen bought the castle. By 1558 only the upper tower, about twelve metres long, still stood. In 1567 Friedrich Schimpf acquired the property and the name Schimpfhalde was given to the spoil heap nearby. After demolition around 1800 the last traces of the ruin were removed. Visitors find the Warrior Rock with its bronze eagle and the Rappenstein tunnel portal close together on the riverside path. The rocky platform offers a view across the Rhine to the larger Habsburg castle. The surrounding area shows the remains of the old waterfall and the railway line that once served the tunnel. The site is quiet, with only the sound of water and passing trains breaking the silence.