Burgstall Regenstauf

The Burgstall Regenstauf stands on the Schlossberg at 436.6 metres above sea level in the market town of Regenstauf. It was once a hilltop castle controlling the Regental road where the riverbank narrows beside the hill. The site is partly protected as a listed monument under the name Brunnenhäuschen. Archaeologists also list it as a medieval mound known locally as the Schloßberg. The castle belonged first to the Regensburg burggraves in the 12th century. Their family took the name Stauf from the conical hill by the Regen. By 1125 Burggraf Otto appears as Comes de Stowfe, and his descendants held Regenstauf until 1195 or 1196. After the last Babonen died out, the Wittelsbachs inherited the castle and made it the centre of a ducal district. In 1504 it was destroyed during the Landshuter War of Succession and later dismantled for building stone. Visitors today find a quiet hilltop with only a small stone structure marking the old well house. The surrounding slopes are wooded, and the Regental valley can be seen below. A footpath leads to the summit where the outline of the former tower and enceinte is still faintly visible. The view extends across the river and the market town, recalling the strategic position the castle once held.