Schanzhübl Castle

The Turmhügel Schanzhübl is a former motte, or tower mound castle, in the Oberpfalz region about 1,500 metres southeast of St. Martin’s city church in Amberg. The site is listed as a protected archaeological monument by the Bavarian State Office for Monument Conservation. Excavations show it was built in the 14th century and abandoned soon after. By the 20th century only traces of a ditch on the west side remained. Today a low, truncated pyramid-shaped mound marks the spot. Archaeologists have found that the mound once supported a wooden tower on a platform roughly 20 by 14 metres. The base measures about 30 by 20 metres, showing how small but solidly built the castle was. Local historians such as Heinrich Scharf have recorded its remains in detail. The site gives a clear picture of a once common type of medieval fortification. It is one of several such mottes around Amberg. Visitors walk across open grassland to reach the low earthworks. The mound is easy to spot because it rises gently above the flat ground. There are no fences or barriers, so people can walk right up to the platform. The quiet surroundings let visitors imagine how the tower once stood there. The site is part of the former Landesgartenschau grounds, so it sits among modern gardens and paths.