Burgstall Altenthannstein

Altenthannstein is a ruined hilltop castle standing on a 635-metre summit above the hamlet of Dautersdorf in the Thanstein woods. The site lies about 350 metres north of the small St Ägidius church and is registered as a medieval archaeological monument. The remains include the foundations of a tower and other buildings, cut off from the lower slope by a defensive ditch.

The castle was built in the 13th century by the lords of Tannstein as their family seat. In 1218 a local knight called Uto von Tannstein appears in written records. By the early 14th century the family had moved their main residence to the nearby castle of Thannstein, leaving Altenthannstein to decay.

Today the earthworks and stone scars still mark where the tower once stood. A shallow ditch surrounds the upper platform, and traces of a small well can be seen inside the enclosed area. The quiet forest setting gives little hint of the fortress that once commanded the surrounding countryside.