- Burgstall Eselsburg
Burgstall or Castle Eselsburg is a ruined castle located above the town of
Herbrechtingen in the Heidenheim district ofBaden-Württemberg inGermany .Location
The castle is located about 50 m above the valley floor, above the Eselsburg section of Herbrechtingen. The central keep is located on the edge of a steep rock cliff (521 m above
sea level ) that projects up from the valley floor. A semi-circulartrench protects the castle on the other side.History
Eselsburg was built around 1200 as the home of the
Ministerialis or unfree knights of theGraf orBaron von Dillingen. It is likely that an earlier castle foundation was reused to build the castle. In1244 a knight named Gerwig (Gerwicus) von Eselsburg is mentioned in a document. In 1270, Rudolf von Eselsburg served the Graf Ulrich II. von Helfenstein. In1284 another Gerwig von Eselsburg entered the service of the Bishop ofAugsburg . Then, in1343 the Eselsburger sold their castle and property in Herbrechtingen.The castle then passed through several owners in the next century. In
1385 "Wilhelm von Riedheim" acquired the land. In1414 "Heinrich von Bopfingen" acquired the property, which became an Imperial fief in1441 . Then, in1444 "Rudolf von Bopfingen" sold his half of the rights to the castle to "Heinrich Krafft" fromUlm . Heinrich then acquired the other half of the rights one year later from "Sigmund von Eselsburg". In1453 the Emperor released the castle from his ownership, and it ceased to be an imperial fief.In
1462 the castle was burned by Bavarian troops, during a "Reichskrieg" against the Duchy of Bavaria. In1479 the castle became the property of "Eitelhans von Knöringen". Then, in1503 the Lords von Eben took over castle Eselsburg. "Christoph Friedrich von Eben" sold the castle in1562 to his brother in law "Ulrich von Rechberg zu Falkenstein". Following a divestment of the property to the House of Württemberg in1593 the castle was emptied and began to decay. By1690 the castle is reported to be "abandoned and totally overgrown".Castle Grounds
Of the
High Middle Ages castle, only the trench and a few fragments of the wall are visible today.The trench was cut from rock and about 5 m deep and 4 to 5 m wide. Additionally, behind the trench, a three sided wall protected the
keep . The angular trench is generally easy to follow, though the southern section is mostly filled in.The remains of the rectangular keep (ca. 23 x 30 m) are built from a variety of rough finished stones and buckel stones (square stones with a rounded outer edge). On this site, according to the
1581 "Renlinschen Forstkarte" (Renlinschen Forest Map located in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nürnberg), there were two fortified houses with saddle roofs and a tower which was topped with a helmet. Between the two wings in east and west was the small courtyard. A fragment of the wall in front of the east building could belong to an inner wall.ee also
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List of castles in Baden-Württemberg References
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* Günter Schmitt: "Burgenführer Schwäbische Alb. Band 6 · Ostalb. Wandern und entdecken zwischen Ulm, Aalen und Donauwörth". Biberacher Verlagsdruckerei. Biberach an der Riß 1995. ISBN 3-924489-74-2
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