Hohenschramberg Castle

Hohenschramberg, also known as Nippenburg, is the ruin of a spur castle on the Schlossberg in Schramberg in the Baden-Württemberg district of Rottweil. The castle ruin Hohenschramberg is located on the 636.2 m above sea level southeast spur of the Schlossberg (683.1 m), which rises steeply in the Black Forest and northwest above the confluence of the Lauterbach into the Schiltach in Schramberg.

Hans von Rechberg, who had acquired the castles of Falkenstein, Schilteck and Ramstein and thus founded the Lordship of Schramberg, began construction of the castle in 1457. He expanded the castle into a fortress. Hohenschramberg is thus one of the last castles to be built in Germany. In 1464, Count Eberhard im Bart unsuccessfully besieged the castle.

In 1526, the Lordship and thus the castle passed to the Lords of Landenberg from Thurgau in Switzerland.

In 1547, the Lordship and the castle came into the possession of the Austrian Chancellor in Alsace, Rochus Merz von Staffelfelden. Rochus Merz further expanded the castle and received market rights from Emperor Charles V in 1547.

From 1583 to 1805, the castle, along with the Lordship of Schramberg, remained with Austria (Further Austria).

In 1633, during the Thirty Years' War, the castle was besieged by the Duke of Württemberg, or Konrad Widerholt, who subsequently also captured the castle.

In 1648, the castle and the Lordship were pledged to the Counts of Bissingen and Nippenburg. They first lived in Hohenschramberg Castle and built a first palace in the valley in 1772/73.

During the Palatinate War of Succession in 1689, the castle was set on fire by troops of King Louis XIV of France.

Between 1957 and 1983, numerous excavation works and preservation measures were carried out by the Burgpioniere, a group of citizens who dedicated themselves to the preservation of the castle ruin, supported by the city of Schramberg and the state of Baden-Württemberg.