Burg Roßwangen

Burg Roßwangen stands on the Burgbühl hill, 701 metres above sea level, near Roßwangen, now part of Balingen in the Zollernalbkreis. It was once a summit castle, built by the Kerus family, the local lords of the village. The Kerus belonged to one of three branches of the Lords of Bisingen. The other branches held castles at Bisingen and Zainingen. The family served the Counts of Zollern, the Lords of Hohenberg and the Counts of Zollern-Schalksburg. The castle was raised by Walger I of Bisingen, his brother Baldebert and their father. Walger confirmed this in a charter dated 16 July 1255. In doing so they took fields that belonged to St Blasien monastery, leading to a legal dispute. The Bisingers later returned half of the fields to the monastery. The father had already died by the time the charter was issued, so the castle was destroyed during his lifetime. The castle’s construction created a knightly estate around Roßwangen. The family disappears from records by about 1290. By 1360 the estate passed to the Lords of Tierberg, then to the Lords of Ramsperg and finally to the Lords of Bubenhofen. They merged it with the Dotternhausen estate. Today nothing remains of the former stronghold.