Veitsburg

Veitsburg stands on the Veitsberg, a 525-metre hill above Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg. The site began as the medieval Ravensburg, a hilltop castle built for the Welf family. Over centuries it served as a ducal seat, a staufian administrative centre and an imperial stronghold. The castle’s long history is visible in its layers of occupation. Excavations found traces from the New Stone Age through the Bronze Age to the Hallstatt period. By the 10th century the Welfs made it their principal residence in Swabia. Welf IV became Duke of Bavaria in 1070, and his grandson Heinrich the Proud held court here before his son Heinrich the Lion was probably born on the mountain in 1129. Today the summit holds the remains of the medieval fortress. Ring-wall fragments run along the western edge, and the former St Veit chapel survives as an archaeological monument. Visitors walk over a plateau 220 metres long and 80 metres wide, with steep slopes on three sides. The view stretches across Ravensburg and the surrounding countryside.