Guttenberg Castle is considered one of the last undamaged Staufer castles in Germany. It was founded around 1180, is today over 800 years old and has a correspondingly eventful history. It has always been inhabited and has been completely preserved to this day. It has been owned by the Barons of Gemmingen for over 560 years.

The first documentary mention of Guttenberg Castle dates from the late 13th century – the Chapel of St Nicholas below Guttenberg Castle is mentioned in 1296. At that time the Lords of Weinsberg owned the castle. They remained until the middle of the 15th century. Most recently, the royal hereditary treasurer Conrad von Weinsberg was the lord of the castle. Since Conrad von Weinsberg lent considerable sums of money to the king, which he did not get back, however, and thus he himself came into financial distress, he felt compelled to sell the castle.

On St. Andrew’s Day in 1449, Hans “the Rich” of Gemmingen bought Guttenberg Castle from the heirs of Conrad von Weinsberg, who had died almost two years earlier, for 6,000 Rhenish guilders. Hans von Gemmingen was also set by the wedding with the wealthy Katharina Landschädin von Steinach in the position not only to buy the castle, but also to expand it extensively. An important milestone in the history of the castle.

At the end of 1521 the Lords of Gemmingen joined the Reformation. In later Baden the family thus belonged to the first followers of the teachings > Martin Luther. Guttenberg was spared the destruction during the Peasant War and the Thirty Years’ War by fortunate circumstances, for already in 1622 a great battle raged at Wimpfen, which resulted in numerous lootings and destruction. In 1689 Guttenberg also escaped the French troops who cremated Heidelberg and many of the Neckar castles.

With the proclamation of the Grand Duchy of Baden in 1806, the Lords of Gemmingen lost their ruling function. But they remained owners of the castle and its lands. In the early 19th century, the history of the castle was connected above all with the stay of the poet Wilhelm Hauff, who was the tutor of a family member.

Today the castle is the centre of the family estate and one of the most popular excursion destinations in the region, as it has been opened to the interested public.


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Hornberg Castle (German: Burg Hornberg) is a partially ruined castle located on a steep outcrop above the Neckar valley above the village Neckarzimmern, between Bad Wimpfen and Mosbach. It is the largest and oldest of the castles in the valley.

The original castle was built in the 11th century. It is notable as the stronghold of Götz von Berlichingen, who bought it in 1517 and died there in 1562. The castle was bought by Reinhard of Gemmingen in 1612 and remains in possession of the Gemmingen-Hornberg family today. It was uninhabited from 1738 and left to decay until 1825, when it was partially restored. It has housed a museum since 1968.

It also housed students from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources for an annual summer exchange program.

Hornberg Castle (Neckarzimmern)

Zwingenburg Castle (German: Burg Zwingenberg), also called Zwingenburg or Schloss Zwingenberg, stands on the right bank of the River Neckar where it cuts through the Odenwald hills in central Germany. The castle is located in the municipality of Zwingenberg in the state of Baden-Württemberg.

The spur castle was built on a hill spur in the triangle formed by the confluence of the steep Wolfschlucht gorge with the Neckar valley and lies about 50 metres above the river.

The castle was probably built in the 13th century by the Hohenstaufen ministerialis, William of Wimpfen. The first record of it dates to the year 1326. A nephew of William of Wimpfen called himself von Zwingenberg. Because the Zwingenbergs were robber knights, in 1363 they were driven from the castle and it was slighted in the name of the emperor. In 1403, the Lord of Hirschhorn was enfeoffed with the Zwingenburg and had it rebuilt. After his line had died out, ownership switched between the Electorate of Mainz, Electorate of the Palatinate and the Grand Duchy of Baden. The lord of the castle today is Louis (Ludwig), Prince of Baden (born 1937), a descendant of Grand Duke Charles Frederick of Baden.

Above Zwingenberg Castle are the remains of Fürstenstein Castle.

Zwingenberg Castle

Steinsberg Castle is a castle in the village of Weiler, a suburb of Sinsheim in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.

The castle was first mentioned in the year 1109. In the thirteenth century the owners of the castle were the Counts of Oettingen. Later the castle became home to the Counts palatine of the Rhein. In 1517 the castle was purchased by the Lords of Venningen. Shortly after this purchase the castle was burnt down during the Peasants' revolt. The rebellious peasants had to pay 5000 Gulden for the rebuilding of the castle. After heavy damage in 1777 by a strike of lightning the castle was left in disrepair. Since 1973 the castle has been owned by the Sinsheim council, who had large parts of the castle restored. The keep, the moat and the towers may still be viewed today.

Steinsberg Castle

The Ottilienberg is a mountain near Eppingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The mountain has been a cult place in ancient times. On top of the mountain are the remains of a late medieval pilgrimage church and remains of a fortification from the 17th century.

The mountain itself is a sandstone oval about 3 km south east of Eppingen. Because of the extraordinary geological formation, the 310 m high mountain is assumed to be a very early refuge and cult place. The pilgrimage church was donated in 1473. South of the chepel was a graveyard. 1697 the mountain top was dismantled to an artillery fortress. While the fortress decayed through the following decades, the church and some surrounding economy buildings did remain, until they were severely damaged during World War II in April 1945. The chapel was reconstructed in simplified shape in 1954/55.



Ottilienberg

Stettenfels Castle is a medieval castle above the town of Untergruppenbach in Heilbronn. It was once owned by Hans Fugger and is now used for cultural events.

The castle was built in the 11th century, probably at about the same time as many other castles in the area. From 1356 Stettenfels was owned by Burkhard, Knight of Sturmfeder. From 1462 to 1478, the Lords of Helmstatt owned of the castle. With the 1504 victory of Ulrich, Duke of Wurttemberg in the Landshut War of Succession the castle became a fief of Württemberg under Marshal Konrad Thumb of Neuburg in 1507. His son Hans Konrad Thumb of Neuburg sold the fief in 1527 to Philip of Hirnheim, the Reformer of Gruppenbach.

In 1551 Anton Fugger, a nephew of Jakob the Rich, acquired the castle grounds. His son Hans Fugger had the castle remodelled into a Renaissance chateau in 1576 by the architect Wendel Dietrich. In 1594 the castle burnt down, but was rebuilt by Dietrich. In the 18th century Fugger attempted to establish a Capuchin hospice, but the buildings were destroyed in 1735. Karl Eugen, Duke of Württemberg acquired the site in 1747. In 1829 the municipality of Gruppenbach acquired the ownership and reserved rights for later sale. In the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries the castle was repeatedly renovated. In 1852 the tanner Friedrich Korn from Calw bought the estate, and sold it in 1858 to the Hamburg businessman Anton Mayer, who in turn sold it in 1881 to the landlord Friedrich Bürkle. Until 1888 the site was home to the state forestry office, at which point it was acquired by the Weinberger farmer Christian Hildt.

In 1901 the castle was bought by the Cologne lawyer Dr. Walter Putsch, who renovated the building in a contemporary style. In 1918 the von Haldenwang family bought the property. In 1924, Siegfried Levy, from Kornwestheim, who with his family owned the company Salamander Shoes, acquired the facility in which he established a stud farm. On 5 October 1937 the castle was "Aryanized" (nationalized, i.e., seized by the Nazis and the Jewish owners fled to South Africa. In 1939, the old medieval bailey was rebuilt and parts of the castle were demolished to produce an "Ordensburg" for the Nazi party. The war ended before the reconstruction could be completed.

After the Second World War the site was initially under American asset management. From 1946, the Lutheran Church operated a retreat and retirement home in the castle. In 1951 the castle was returned through a restitution process to the widow of Siegfried Levy, whose family sold the castle to Friedrich Spieser in 1957. It was sold to the architect Roland Fleiner Weimar in 1994.

The castle is now open to the public. Community concerts and theater events are held at the castle. The private owners rent out the rooms of the castle for events such as receptions, and there is a permanent beer garden in the castle grounds. The grounds are used for a variety of agriculture, including vineyards, and a stud farm.

Every year since 2005 the castle has hosted a medieval festival with jousting tournaments, jugglers, music and artisans. Since 2007 the festival has been held on May 1 and the subsequent weekend, and now has hundreds of contributors and thousands of visitors.

Stettenfels castle is east of the historic town center on a sandstone ridge. The castle is surrounded by a broad moat, with three old towers. Over a massive bridge, a gatehouse leads to the triangular castle courtyard, dominated by a fountain and surrounded by various residential buildings of the castle. The moat is accessible and, more recently there is also a fixed stage set up within the moat for events.

Noticeable in the courtyard is the historic staircase tower. While most buildings in the grounds date back to the renaissance castle, the staircase tower is marked by recent rebuilding. Until well into the 20th century, the facade of the residential building and the staircase tower was just a timber balustrade, but the former archways of the commercial areas on the ground floor are now largely walled.

Just beyond the moat to the east of the actual castle are some historic farm buildings, and some modern restaurant buildings.

Stettenfels Castle

Das Rote Schloss ist ein Schloss in Jagsthausen im Landkreis Heilbronn. Es wurde ungefähr im Zeitraum von 1572 bis 1590 von einer Nebenlinie der Herren von Berlichingen errichtet.

Das Schloss befindet sich auf dem Gelände des früheren Römerkastells Jagsthausen und in unmittelbarer Nähe des Sitzes der Herren von Berlichingen, der „Götzenburg“. Es wurde zwischen 1572 und 1590 von Hans Reinhard von Berlichingen erbaut. Im Inneren des Schlosses finden sich heute noch Wandmalereien aus der Zeit des Baubeginns, während das Schloss im 18. Jahrhundert um eine Fassade und ein Mansarddach Richtung Dorf ergänzt wurde. Im ausgehenden 19. Jahrhundert befand sich der Sitz des Berlichingen’schen Rentamts und die Wohnung des Rentamtmanns im Schloss. Heute befindet sich dort ein Restaurant.