Burg Hochhaus: A Medieval Hill Castle Ruin in Germany

Visitor Information

Google Rating: 4.7

Popularity: Low

Country: Germany

Civilization: Early Modern, Medieval European

Site type: Military

Remains: Castle

History

Burg Hochhaus is a medieval hill castle ruin situated near the municipality of Ederheim in present-day Germany. It was established around the year 1200 by a branch of the noble von Hürnheim family, who adopted their new surname from the castle’s name, derived from the Latin phrase de alta domo, meaning “from the High House.”

The earliest documentary evidence of the castle dates to 1236, when Rudolf I von Hochhaus appeared as a witness in a legal document. The castle remained in the von Hochhaus family until at least the mid-14th century. In 1347, Konrad II, a later lord of Hochhaus, sold the property to the Counts of Oettingen-Oettingen for 3,000 pounds. After the last von Hochhaus lord died without heirs in 1353, the acquisition by the Oettingen lineage became official.

Under the rule of the Counts of Oettingen, Burg Hochhaus assumed an important role as an administrative center. Throughout the 1400s and 1500s, the castle underwent significant modernization and was strengthened to enhance its defensive capabilities. In the early 18th century, specifically in 1719, the medieval fortress was expanded and transformed into a baroque palace, though it retained the original fortifications and the main residential building known as the palas.

The castle’s fortunes changed dramatically in 1749 when the newly constructed baroque palace was destroyed by fire and left unrepaired. Starting in 1787 and continuing to 1792, the castle served a different purpose as a detention site for Wilhelm Ludwig Wekhrlin, an Enlightenment-era journalist and political thinker. During his confinement, Wekhrlin wrote articles advocating political ideas.

Despite the fire and partial abandonment, the old palas remained in use for administrative functions until 1807. Afterwards, the site was deliberately neglected to create a picturesque ruin valued for its romantic appeal in the surrounding landscape. However, there is evidence that Burg Hochhaus was still inhabited until at least 1839, when permission was granted for its last resident to relocate to the nearby town of Nördlingen.

In the 1960s, limited conservation efforts focused on stabilizing the counter-escarpment wall of the neck ditch due to partial collapse. No other major preservation activities have been documented since then.

Remains

The ruins of Burg Hochhaus occupy a hilltop protected by substantial fortifications constructed during various historical phases. The defensive complex includes an extensive system of ramparts and ditches, beginning about 300 meters before the main castle’s neck ditch, which itself separates the castle plateau from the surrounding terrain. A wall ditch, approximately 200 meters long, marks the boundary between this plateau and the hinterland. Between these defensive trenches lies another excavated trench, believed to be the site of an outer bailey—a fortified courtyard—that no longer stands.

The main castle forms an irregular quadrilateral enclosed by walls measuring roughly 60 by 70 meters in perimeter. The neck ditch’s outer wall, known as the counter-escarpment, incorporates masonry construction in some sections. Rising above the remnants of the old ring wall are the remains of a four-winged baroque palace, largely decayed but still discernible. To the west of these palace ruins stands the three-story palas, the original main residential building, noted for its broad window openings and currently considered vulnerable to collapse.

South of the palas lies the gate zwinger, a fortified outer courtyard designed to trap attackers between defensive walls. Here, portions of a flanking tower remain, though the primary gate structure has been lost. Among the best-preserved parts of the former palace complex is a slender corner tower located on the southwest side, accompanied by a low, elongated artillery tower built in front of it.

Two oil paintings dated around 1750 to 1760, kept at Burg Harburg, provide valuable visual information about the castle’s appearance before deterioration. These images depict the main palace with a timber-framed upper floor topped by a small turret made of stone or plaster. The lower wings of the building featured gently curved gables, while the slender corner tower extended upward to the roof ridge of the main structure.

Today, the ruin is accessible only for external viewing and presents hazards due to the unstable condition of some structures. Photographic records highlight key features such as the southwest section combining the palas and gate building, the zwinger with its semicircular tower, southern casemates adjacent to the zwinger, the neck ditch filled partly with masonry, and the southeast tower alongside fragments of the northern wall. These elements collectively tell the story of a castle that evolved over centuries, adapting from medieval fortress to baroque residence, before gradually falling into picturesque ruin.