Burg Hohenstein

Burg Hohenstein stands on a hill 785 metres above sea level near Oberstetten, a village now part of the municipality of Hohenstein in the Schwäbische Alb. The ruin crowns a former spur castle built by the Lords of Hohenstein at the end of the 11th century. The Hohensteiner family ruled from here in the High Middle Ages, collecting taxes and holding court. The castle first appears in the Zwiefalt Abbey chronicles around 1100. Twice it hosted margraves of Baden at grand feasts. By 1300 the stronghold had been enlarged, yet after damage in 1408 it fell into disrepair and was uninhabited by 1438. Later owners included the Counts of Zollern and the Kaib von Hohenstein family. Between 1983 and 1985 conservation work stabilised the remaining walls. Visitors walk among the ruins of the inner and outer baileys, where the square bergfried still rises on its rocky base. The tower’s south-east corner survives to a height of about thirteen metres, with walls over two metres thick. The plateau offers wide views across the Alb plateau. Occasional readings, concerts and plays take place on the site, bringing the medieval setting to life.