Castle Ruin Thurn

The Burgruine Thurn stands on a hilltop 883 metres above sea level, 2.5 kilometres northwest of Oberstaufen church in the Allgäu uplands. It was first recorded in 1285 and belonged to the lords of Weiler. The old hilltop fortress once had a protective ditch, but only the tower base and cellar vaults remain today. Archaeologists have listed the site as a protected monument under the code D-7-8425-0001. The ruins show how the Weiler family built their stronghold to command the valley below. A single round tower still rises from the mound, its walls weathered by seven centuries of rain and wind. Below ground, vaulted cellars run beneath the former great hall, their stone ribs intact. Visitors can walk the grassy mound and trace the outline of the vanished curtain wall. The quiet hilltop offers wide views over the Allgäu meadows and the Nagelfluh mountain chain. A short forest path leads from the car park to the ruins in ten minutes. On clear days the Alps appear to the south, while to the north the landscape falls away toward the Bodensee. The site is best visited in late summer when the surrounding beech woods turn golden.