Kastelburg Castle Ruins

Waldkirch, Germany

Kastelburg castle was built between 1260 and 1270 by the Lords of Schwarzenberg. Like the Schwarzenburg on the opposite side of the valley its purpose was to defend the town Waldkirch and to control the trade route through the Elz valley.

The first inhabitant of the castle was Johann I of Schwarzenberg. The Schwarzenbergs died out already in 1345 and the castle was sold to Martin Malterer from Freiburg who fell in 1386 in the Battle of Sempach. In 1429 the castle was passed on to Berthold of Staufen.

In the Thirty Years' War the castle was destroyed by troops of the Kaiser on 14 March 1634 so that it did not fall into the hands of the advancing Swedish troops.

In recent years attempts have been made to conserve the edificial structure of the ruin that is standing romantically above the historic center of Waldkirch.

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Address

Max-Barth-Weg, Waldkirch, Germany
See all sites in Waldkirch

Details

Founded: 1260-1270
Category: Ruins in Germany
Historical period: Habsburg Dynasty (Germany)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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User Reviews

Valentina Garrido (2 years ago)
Very good! You also have different ways to get there into the forest
Uwe Jaentges (2 years ago)
good for kids
Adil Ahsan (2 years ago)
Nice ruins... Free parking nearby... Great view...
Andrey Klinger (2 years ago)
Highly recommend! The climb to the castle takes about 30 minutes via convenient unpaved sloped. (Accessible with a stroller / wheelchair) On the way there some knight figures with explanations in German. From the castle there is a great view over the city. In the center of the castle there is a high (seems over 40 meters) intact tower that you can climb by lit wooden stair. This might be scary if you are afraid of heights. From the top there is an even better view.
highway to health! (2 years ago)
A beautiful castle with a panorama view of Waldkirch.To get there you have to follow a trail about 1km. long of low difficulty full of trees.Free entry and lot of hiking and mountain biking areas connected with castles route.Enjoy it!
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