Burg Lohr

Burg Lohr, also called Altes Schloss, stands on a long ridge 496.5 metres above sea level south-east of the Lohr district in Crailsheim. The spur juts out from the western edge of the town in the district of Westgartshausen. The remains sit on ground that once formed part of a larger spur castle built on the edge of the valley. The site overlooks farmland and the wooded slopes of the nearby valley. The castle was first mentioned indirectly in 1221 through a record of a nobleman named Giso von Lare. The Lords of Lohr, who built the castle between 1100 and 1271, belonged to one of Franconia’s most important noble families. They were closely related to the Counts of Lobenhausen, the Counts of Flügelau and the Lords of Krautheim-Klingenfels. After the last Lord of Lohr died in 1271, the castle and its lands passed to Count Ludwig III of Oettingen. Today the site shows traces of the former defences. A neck ditch with ramparts once protected the entrance, while steep slopes dropped away on three sides. Remains of the wall and ditch are still visible, along with faint ground marks of the old buildings. The ruins lie within a quiet landscape of fields and woodland, offering a clear sense of the site’s strategic position.