Burg Auggen

Burg Auggen stands in the flat lands of Auggen, a village in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district. It was one of two lowland water castles in the area, protected by a deep moat on the north side and a pond and marshy meadows on the rest. The site now lies in a field called Schlösslegarten, where only traces remain of the old walls. The castle’s history goes back to 1271, when half of Auggen village belonged to one castle under the counts of Freiburg-Badenweiler and the Sermenzer family. The other half belonged to the second castle under the margraves of Hachberg-Hachberg and the lords of Oughein, from whom the Minnesänger Brunwart von Augheim came. Both castles were destroyed during the Neuenburger War of 1272–73, but one was rebuilt soon after. By the 14th century it had passed to the lords of Staufen, then to the lords of Neuenfels in 1483, and finally to the von Reischach family in 1537. Visitors today find an open field with low earthworks marking the old moat and pond edges. The surroundings are quiet farmland, with no standing buildings left above ground. The site is quiet, offering a sense of how the castle once stood in its watery defences.