Burg Mägdeberg

The ruined castle of Mägdeberg stands on the wooded Mägdeberg hill in the Hegau region, 654 metres above sea level. It is a medieval hilltop fortress surrounded by other castles, including Hohenkrähen two kilometres to the south-east and Hohenhewen five kilometres to the north-west. The climb to the ruin starts at Mühlhausen village, where a small car park lies 300 metres below the site. The fortress was built between 1235 and 1240 by Abbot Konrad of Reichenau and first mentioned in 1240. After changing hands several times between the Habsburgs and the counts of Württemberg, it was destroyed in 1378 by troops of the Swabian League. Rebuilt in 1479 by Count Eberhard im Bart, it was besieged in 1480 by a 3,400-strong Austrian army. The castle passed to Austria in 1481 and was later used as a pawn and fief until it was finally abandoned in 1700. Visitors walk up a ramped path to the first gate, then pass through two more gates and a zwinger before reaching the upper courtyard. The main castle sits on solid rock and contains the remains of the great hall. The late-medieval round towers and the ruined Ursulakapelle at the third gate show different phases of construction. The stone walls still outline the shape of the fortress, offering a clear view of its medieval defences.