Burg Blankenhorn

Burg Blankenhorn stands on a rocky spur above the Ermstal valley at 650 metres. It lies near Sirchingen, facing the ruins of Burg Baldeck and south of the remains of Burg Hohenwittlingen. The site belongs to Bad Urach in the Reutlingen district of Baden-Württemberg. The spur castle was probably built in the 12th century by the Lords of Blankenhorn, whose exact status among the local nobility remains uncertain. Today only a neck ditch and small fragments of the curtain wall remain, buried under rubble. The ruins are worth the journey for anyone interested in early medieval fortifications. The Lords of Blankenhorn appear in regional records but left no grand structures behind. Land Baden-Württemberg is listed as a former owner, showing how the site passed into public hands. Archaeologists have found pottery fragments that help date the castle’s use. Scholars like Günter Schmitt and Christoph Bizer have studied the remains in detail. Visitors find a quiet hilltop with scant stonework half-hidden in grass and brambles. The neck ditch still marks where the outer defences once stood. A low mound covers the buried curtain wall, its stones scattered and cracked by time. From the spur the Ermstal valley stretches away below, offering views towards Sirchingen and the surrounding Alb foothills. The site feels remote, with only the wind and occasional walkers breaking the silence.