Burg Krautheim

Burg Krautheim stands on a rocky spur above the town of Krautheim in the Hohenlohekreis of Baden-Württemberg. The Jagst river curves past the northern tip of the spur, marking the border between the old lands of Baden and Württemberg. The town grew up around the spur, and the castle’s position gave it control of ancient trade routes running from the Rhine to Mergentheim and from the Neckar to Rothenburg.

The castle began as a refuge in the early Middle Ages, but the stone keep dates from the 12th century. It was built in the Staufer style of large tufa blocks, with its entrance 10.5 metres above ground. Three brothers of the Krautheim family added a high curtain wall, a great hall and a neck ditch in the late 12th century. In 1230 the chapel was enlarged to form a gate hall, and its polygonal choir projects into the eastern palace wing. The castle also briefly held the imperial regalia in 1240–42.

Visitors enter through the shield wall and cross a wooden bridge from the palace to the keep. The keep’s internal stair leads to a viewing platform with wide views over the Jagst valley. Inside the palace rooms a castle museum displays models and panels. Near the original spot stands a memorial to Götz von Berlichingen, who shouted his defiant phrase here in 1516.