Burg Kronwinkel

Burg Kronwinkel stands on a hilltop 605 metres above sea level, three hundred metres north-west of the Loretto Chapel built in 1684. The chapel now occupies the site where the medieval stronghold once rose above the village of Kronwinkel. The hamlet belongs to Tannheim in the Biberach district of Oberschwaben. The original fortress belonged to the noble families who ruled this part of Swabia in earlier centuries. All visible traces of the castle have vanished over time. Historians recognise the site as an important medieval power centre in the region. Local records from the 19th century describe Kronwinkel as a place where local lords held court and administered justice. The Loretto Chapel replaced the castle after it fell into disuse, yet the hill still carries the memory of those feudal days. Stefan Uhl’s 1986 study of castles and manors in the Biberach district lists Burg Kronwinkel among the vanished sites worth remembering. Visitors reach the hill by quiet lanes that wind through farmland and woodland. At the summit a simple stone cross marks the castle’s former location. The view stretches across rolling Swabian countryside to the distant Alps on clear days. The Loretto Chapel below stands as a peaceful contrast to the vanished fortress above. The hilltop offers a quiet place to stand where medieval lords once looked out over their lands.