Burg Staufen (Hegau): A Medieval Hilltop Castle in Germany
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 3.5
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Germany
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page4 sections
History
Staufen Castle is a medieval hilltop castle ruin in Germany, located at Staufen on the northeastern edge of Hilzingen. Its construction dates to before 1269, when the complex stood on the 594-metre Staufen mountain in the historic Hegau region.
The Lords of Homburg
From about 1269, Staufen mountain and the castle were held as a feudal possession by the Lords of Homburg, a medieval noble family. Part of the fief came from the Counts of Hohenberg, a regional dynasty whose possessions in the area passed to the dukes of Austria in 1381. Wolf von Homburg, the last member of his lineage, died in 1566.
War and Destruction
During the Swiss War of 1499, also known as the Swabian War, allied territories of the Old Swiss Confederacy fought in the region and burned the castle. The Thirty Years’ War, a European conflict from 1618 to 1648 involving religious, dynastic, and territorial struggles, brought further destruction. In 1638, troops commanded by Konrad Widerholt, commander of Hohentwiel Fortress, demolished the interior furnishings and destroyed the castle buildings.
The ruined castle was used again as a headquarters by forces besieging Hohentwiel Fortress in 1641 and 1644. In later years, local inhabitants removed building materials from the ruin, contributing to the loss of much of the former complex.
Remains
Staufen Castle occupies the summit of the 594-metre Staufen mountain and is classified as a hill castle. The surviving remains consist of substantial stretches of the ring wall, together with parts of former buildings. They stand in a ruined condition, and some surviving sections are at risk of collapse. Destruction during the seventeenth century, followed by the later removal of building material, has left the complex greatly reduced from its earlier form.
