Hohentwiel - the largest fortress ruin in Germany doesn't cease to amaze us. We've been there several times and we keep coming back whenever we have visitors staying with us or if we don't feel like driving for too long.
Yesterday was one of those days when we didn't want to stay at home but also didn't want to spend all day on the road. Hohentwiel is located in the Hegau region of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany and it takes us around 20 minutes to get there by car. It is a perfect place for a one day trip!
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It took us around 30 minutes to get from the parking to the fortress. It is a very steep hike but luckily there are a few spots where you can take a break and enjoy the views. The entrance fee to the fortress is EUR 4.50. Don't forget to get the ticket at the visitor center next to the parking place as this is the only place where you can get them. And you don't want to walk all the way back and forth again.
This part is called Galgenrain. The gallows were places here in the past. They were a visible sign of high jurisdiction of the owner of Hohentwiel and his right to judge the life and death. The conditions of the fortress were harsh and soldiers often deserted. If they could not be found, their names were slapped on the gallows which meant they would be executed by hanging as soon as they were found.
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Just a few meters away there was a flock of sheep.
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They were curious and started to slowly approach us...
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After a few seconds they lost their interest and continued eating. We saw a young man on the other side of the field - probably their shepherd. He must have said something because all of the sudden they all turned around and disappeared. It all went so fast! Isn't it amazing that so many sheep listen to one person?
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We continued up the hill until we reached The Alexandertor and The Tunnel. This way to the fortress was also used in the past. It is not known when exactly it was built but most likely between 16th and 18th century.
We made it and finally reached the fortress that was a few meters further up.
Hohentwiel is one of the many volcanic formations of the Hegau region. It was an ideal vantage points for fortresses and other structures in the past. The first castle was built on Hohentwiel in 914.
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It has a rich history. During 10th and 11th century it was used by Swabian Duke. In 13th century the fortress was owned by lords of Klingenberg and it was used as a usual knight's castle. Luckily, in 16th century under Duke Ulrich of Württemberg it became the Württemberg gem in the midst of Austrian sovereignty. In 1801, the French emperor Napoleon ordered that Hohentwiel be destroyed.
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The lower fortress was entered through The Eugentor . It formed a first defense bastion. Here were always the most important utilities: storage and quarters, doctor's house and pharmacy, winery, sutler, iron smith, cisterns and bakery. The further transport to the upper fortress was done by donkeys and horses.
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Take your time, walk around and imagine the fortress before it was destroyed.
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Yes, we will be climbing up again 😊
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This is the most enjoyable part of the fortress as it's flat 😊
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Are you ready to climb up the bumpy cobble - stone path? You can't see it very well on the photo, but it is a very steep path. As each stone is of different size and it is difficult to walk there it is important to have good shoes. Before we reached the top, my husband hurt his knee and we had to stop for a while. He couldn't walk very well for the rest of the day but luckily his knee doesn't hurt today.
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This is the Schmittefelsen which was an important defense point because from here you can see the vast surrounding with neighboring hills of Hohenstoffen, Hohenkrähen and Hohenhewen.
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Here was The Hauptmannsturm in the past. It was home of Kommandant Konrad Widerhold who was well knows for his defense of fortress Hohentwiel during the Thirty years' war.
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The church was consecrated in 1645 and the church tower, which is the tallest building on Hohentwiel, was rebuilt in 1845 when the first observation deck was constructed.
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Can you see the hill in the middle?
As I mentioned before the region is called Hegau and it is an extraordinary region because of its topography. There are nine completely harmless relics of volcanic activity that took place 14 million years ago. This one is called Hohenkrähen. Such landscape is unusual for Germany and there are lots of tourist coming here each day to climb up the 'volcanos'.
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Let's go back to Hohentwiel. There are still many things to see before we reach the tower.
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Once you reach the upper level of the fortress you will realize that you can see the tower from everywhere - a perfect meeting point in case somebody gets 'lost' in this huge complex.
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In the past people thought that The Langen Baus was the ruin of former monastery St. Georg that was here in 10th century. However now we know that the building is from 16th century. There were stables on the ground floor and rooms for officers on the upper floors.
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Once we walk up the stairs we will reach the level with school, rectory, manufacture of barrels, arsenal and the Duke's castle.
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But first, let's take a break, eat a snack and enjoy the views of the volcanic region...
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This is a part of Duke's castle. I like that window on the lower floor.
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We are finally coming to the tower. Behind this tunnel there is a courtyard with the church tower. Let's have a look.
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My husband didn't want to go there as his knee was still hurting so I went up on my own. I spent there only a minute as there were many bees flying around and they didn't seem to be happy. They didn't get that the flowers don't grow on the tower! Duh!?
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I looked around and went back downstairs. Of course I took some photos too. This is the Duke's castle - can you see that window from the other photo?
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The right side of the castle with some volcanoes in the back.
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This is Singen with lake Constance in the back. When there are not clouds in the mountains you can see the Swiss Alps too. I was not lucky today.
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This is the highway to Stuttgart. We drive there when we go to The Netherlands.
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In the Middle Ages, like the Hohentwiel, the other volcanoes of the Hegau proved to be perfect locations for castles and small fortifications. There are 380 of them within a radius of 20 kilometers, making the Hegau one of the regions with the most castles in Germany. I think I'll be back to show you more.
Hohentwiel is one of the oldest nature reserves in Germany. The mountain with the highest vineyards in the country was declared a nature reserve in 1943. I like red wine from this region and I bought a couple of bottles again 😊
All pictures are taken by my Nikon D3200 AF-S NIKKOR 18-55 mm 1:3.5-5.6 G II (except of the ones indicated in the article).
Thank you for reading!
Cheers,
Martina
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