Hürgerstein Castle

Hürgerstein Castle is the remnant of a vanished High Medieval spur castle at 520 m above sea level on the territory of Dettingen on the valley edge of the Brenz in the district of Heidenheim in Baden-Württemberg. It stood near Falkenstein Castle in the Eselsburger Tal.

Very little is known about this spur castle; it was probably the seat of the local nobility of Dettingen. The castle name Hürgerstein means: The castle of Hurger or Hürger, a family of this name is attested in Dettingen, where they owned a fief.

The first mention of the family occurred in 1216 with Hurgerus Miles (Knight Hürger), together with Heinrich von Güssenburg as witnesses in a document in which a dispute between the two monasteries of Ellwangen and Kaisheim was settled. Later, other members of the family were also mentioned, such as Hedwig von Hürgerstein in 1264, Konrad and Ulrich Hürger in 1328, who later also called himself Ulrich von Hürgerstein, and between 1344 and 1400 with Konrad and Hans der Hürger.

Through marriage, the castle came into the possession of the Lords Schwelher von Wielandstein. In 1399 - the castle is mentioned for the first time - Benz der Schwilher then gave the castle as a fief to the Counts of Württemberg.

Already in 1417/19, the castle is referred to as a "Burgstall", meaning a vanished castle. In 1429, in the possession of Heinrich von Gültlingen, it was acquired by Anhausen Monastery in 1430.