The overseer of Neuffen, the unconquered, the impregnating – Hohenneuffen Castle. It was built between 1100 and 1120. It lays its aged countenance atop Jurassic era rock on the foothills of the Swabian Alb.
During the 16th century the fort went through a massive amount of reworking and was fortified in accordance with the best military technology made available. For a considerable time in history the castle was razed by looters for construction material. Today, a few sections of the Castle have been restored and now, a restaurant along with a medieval-style market can be seen operating in full swing.
Location:
The 12th century Castle is located in the Baden-Wurttemberg region of Germany at a height of 743.3 meters from sea level. Furthermore, the Hohenneuffen Castle sits as an imposing figure, guarding the small town of Neuffen, and is situated in the district of Esslingen, Germany. It lies at an elevation of 743 meters or 2437 feet. The river Neckar is further located at a distance of 15kms from the Castle.
Getting there:
The closest airport is at Stuttgart. The distance between the castle and Stuttgart averages at around 40 minutes’ worth of a drive and Hohenneuffen can be seen gently meditating, almost as if it was carved out of the massif on the edge of the Swabian Alb. The drive unfortunately will have to end at distance of 400 meters from the main entrance of the castle. You will have to then embark upon a climb which will be slightly steep. The hikers head straight to the beer garden and reward themselves with some of the finest freshly brewed delicacies.
During the seasons highpoint a lot of hikers, cyclists, paragliders, and adventurists can be seen flocking towards the castle and the surrounding region.
History:
Upon first looking at the castle, a sense of mysticism dawns on one’s self. Its wintery fog laden countenance overwhelms the seer and brings forth images of something elemental. Mangold von Sulmetingen, member of the von Neuffen family was responsible for the construction of the castle somewhere between 1100 and 1120 AD. Each brick of the castle speaks volumes about the time and the ages that have gone by. It has stood through the centuries and clearly enough, history can be witnessed through the simple sight of the Hohenneuffen Castle.
Over the centuries the castle’s possession moved from through many families. It moved to the Counts of Württemberg in 1301 from the Lords of Neuffen.
The unconquered Hohenneuffen Castle proved its strategic worth during the strife with the Holy Roman Empire in 1312. Moreover, it bore witness to the many wars with the Swabian League in 1519, peasant wars during 1524-25, and also the Thirty Years’ War period. Though, further genealogical enquiries have shown that the suffix: -neuffen implies a holy ground, with certain religious connotations. That is, probably the castle was associated more with religious believes and practices rather than having a military uses alone. Furthermore, it has also often been regarded as the birthplace of Baden-Württemberg.
The most visited parts of the castle are the prisons. Prisoners of wars, during the time, were often held in the prisons for various instrumental purposes. The brutalities through torture were inflicted on many prisoners and the site of execution also has seen quite a bit of horror. In its entirety, the historicity of the region is ripe with narratives and socio-political milieu of the region.
In the due course of the cruel time the castle was razed for building and construction materials and it was only during 1830’s and after, that the castle was appropriated and post 1860 it was opened for public access.
Architecture:
The Castel was transformed into a fortress during the early parts of 14th century and then again in the 16th century, Duke Ulrich of Württemberg further fortified the castle structure. It was reinforced with an armory, stables, barbicans, casemates, bastions, round towers, two cisterns, along with the building for the commanding officer. Furthermore, in 1862 an inn was constructed in the upper bailey.
Why visit?
While approaching the mount you will also get to see falcons encircling the turrets and this might spook the weak hearted but one must keep in mind that the adventure hasn’t even begun yet. The falconry is in-fact organized without any charge by the Hohhenneuffen.
Owning a castle might be a matter of chance but living in one is not that difficult. You can reside in one of the inns that were constructed in 1862 in the upper bailey section of the castle and relive the glorious Celtic past, present and future. In addition to all of these and much more, the breath taking panoramic view of the neighboring vineyards is nothing less than icing on the cake.
As you’d climb up, numerous paragliders can be witnessed. In addition, a great view of the castle, a cave and a glass sculpture.
Since the 1830’s restoration work had partly begun. It definitely is quite difficult to bring back the Castle in its former glory, but certain sections of the castle have been restored. Occasionally medieval themed dinners are organized along with music and songs. It is quite an experience to wine and dine in that manner. The access to the Castle is free for the public.
The Hohenneuffen Castle has: a Kiosk, a restaurant, and a beer garden. You can experience the best of the local Swabian cuisines along with the classic wine. The restaurant offers and practices highest quality standards, so no complaints there. Also, during the month of June a fell running event is organized where the participants are required to cover a distance of 9.3kms and experience altitude difference of 483 meters.
The recent times have also seen many concerts being organized along with medieval-style markets. Hohenneuffen allows certain private parties to be organized along with celebrations of various kinds.
Opening hours:
From 1 April to 31 October: Wednesday to Saturday, 09:00 am to 22:00 pm
Sunday 09:00 am to 07:00 pm
From 1 November to 31 March: Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00 am to 06:00 pm.
.What else is around?
- Open air museum in Beuren
- AlbTherms Bad Urach in Bad Urach
- Bad Urach Waterfall in Bad Urach
- Old Town Beuren, in Beuren
- Outlet Center Noyo Allee, Shopping in Metzingen
- Gothic Tube wells in Bad Urach
- Urach Castle in Bad Urach