Dellingen Castle Ruin: Remains of a Medieval Hill Castle
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.1
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Germany
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page7 sections
History
Dellingen Castle Ruin is the remains of a hill castle near Waldhausen, a district of Bräunlingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was probably built in the late 11th or early 12th century. If this dating is correct, it would be one of the oldest castle sites in the Baar, a plateau between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb.
Origins
The builders were probably members of the lower local nobility from Waldhausen or Dellingen. Surface finds from the site support the earlier dating.
Recorded ownership and later fate
From the 14th century, the castle was described as the site of a former castle. In 1483, the Counts of Lupfen held its fief, land or rights granted by a superior lord. Around 1512, it belonged to Georg Stähelin von Stockburg. In 1550, the castle was sold to Count Friedrich II of Fürstenberg, a member of the Swabian noble dynasty.
It is uncertain whether the castle was later abandoned and left to decay or destroyed during the German Peasants’ War, an early 16th-century uprising against social and political authority in German-speaking lands.
Remains
Surviving layout
The hill castle stood on a spur at about 775 metres above sea level near Waldhausen. Its surviving remains include a residential tower, small wall fragments, a moat, and an outer rampart.
Residential tower
The tower ruin is built of rubble stone and small squared blocks. Its walls are about 1.8 metres thick and rise 4 to 5 metres. They form an approximately 10-metre-square enclosure with an interior area of 42 square metres. An entrance at ground level pierces the north wall, while a narrow opening lies around the middle of the south wall.
Moat, rampart, and wall fragments
Small additional wall remains are visible. The former moat and outer rampart are recognizable in nearly their original condition.
