Schauenburg Castle

Schauenburg Castle stands on a hill spur 367 metres above the Rench river valley near Oberkirch in the Ortenau region of Baden-Württemberg. Built in the 10th century by Duke Berthold II of Zähringen, the ruined hilltop fortress once controlled the valley below. Its remains include two towers with living quarters, a gate tower, a rampart and a shield wall with a chapel attached. An outer bailey is enclosed by a dry moat and a second shield wall. The castle overlooks the village of Gaisbach and the surrounding Black Forest foothills.

The castle passed through many noble hands: Count Palatine Gottfried von Calw gained it by marriage, then it went to his granddaughter Uta, Duchess of Eberstein. After her death it passed to her brother Eberhard, founder of All Saints’ Abbey. The Eberstein family held it until financial ruin forced a sale to Margrave Rudolf VII of Baden-Baden in 1386. The Schauenburg knights became a separate noble family serving as ministeriales under the Ebersteins. A two-year feud in the early 15th century ended with the castle remaining with the Ebersteins.

Visitors find a small museum in the cellar of the former chapel and a restaurant in the ruins. The two towers still rise above the dry moat, and the shield walls give views across the Rench valley. A path leads from Gaisbach up to the castle gate, passing remnants of the outer bailey. The site is owned by the Freiherren von Schauenburg and has been a preserved ruin since the 18th century. Stones from the castle were reused in the 17th century to build Gaisbach Castle by the author Grimmelshausen.