Ochsenburg Castle

The Burg Ochsenburg stands above the Riesenbach stream near the village of Ochsenburg in Zaberfeld. It was built by the Lords of Ochsenberg in the 11th or 12th century as a hilltop fortress. By the 14th century the site passed to the Lords of Magenheim and the Margraves of Baden. By the late 1300s it belonged to Württemberg, which granted it to the Lords of Sternfels as a fief. The Renaissance period saw a new palace built as the main residence. In 1569 a wine cellar was added, followed in 1771 by a granary. After 1817 the keep was demolished, and during the rest of the 19th century the palace and castle were taken down. Only the wine cellar and granary survive today, standing north of the village church with their stepped gables. Visitors find the two remaining buildings beside the church in Ochsenburg. The wine cellar and granary still show their original stonework, including several carved coats of arms. Many other stones from the old fortress and palace were reused in local houses, so traces of the site appear throughout the village.