Hohenstoffeln Castle

After the only son of Count Maximilian von Pappenheim, Heinrich Ludwig von Pappenheim, was killed by a headshot on June 27, 1633, during an attempted attack (together with Swiss mercenaries, i.e., the Protestant party, and on the instructions of Gustav Adolf, against the Imperial forces) on the castles of Vorder- and Mittelstoffeln, which were under the administration of Balthasar Ferdinand von Hornstein (Hinterstoffeln Castle was owned by Bilgeri von Reischach; however, the three castles were imperial fiefs, and Ferdinand was a son-in-law of Conrad von Stoffeln), and the council clerk and rentier, Georg Michael Wepfer (1591–1659), born in Diessenhofen, father of the Schaffhausen physician Johann Jakob Wepfer, was also present in the trench, he further reports in his diary: "On July 20, His Excellency Lord Rheingraf shot so heavily at Stofflen Castle that the wall in the old castle towards Wyterdingen half collapsed; as those in the castle then feared they could no longer hold the old castle, they set the old castle on fire (others claim it was caused by them, others that it was set on fire by a firebomb) which burned down completely that night, whereupon the besieged retreated into the new castle and gave strong fire; the next day Lord Rheingraf had three large pieces brought through the old castle towards the new one and shot heavily at the new castle, immediately piercing the round tower and shooting through the rooms into the new castle, so that they agreed that evening and surrendered the castle, receiving quarter, withdrawing with sticks, pardoning the commandant Lorenz Eckart von Bretten from the Palatinate, capturing about 12 from Engen, some of whom were later hanged, and giving the castle over to the soldiers for plunder. On July 21, I rode with Captain Hans Wilhelm im Thurn, Mr. Alexander Hurtern, and others early in the morning to the camp, then came to both castles, where a terrible plundering, smashing, breaking open began, a great deal of goods were found therein, especially what had been brought there for refuge by the neighbors, about 200 wagons with all kinds of fruits, herbs and lot, household goods and other things were carried out, I got about 24 books therein, which were given to me by soldiers for a trifle and a small tip. On July 24, the beautiful and strong new castle was also set on fire and completely burned down by order of Lord Rheingraf and the Duke of Württemberg, making von Hornstein a beggar. Thus Stofflen received its deserved reward."

Two citizens of Engen were hanged in revenge for the death of the count's son, others were put in irons. The subjects of the surrounding villages were forced by order of the Duke of Württemberg to finally destroy the remaining wall fragments.

Only a few remnants of the castle complex, which was heavily damaged by demolition and quarrying, can be found today. Hinterstoffeln Castle was the largest of the castles. The three castles were connected by a curtain wall, in which there was a common entrance, stables, and barns. The meager remains of Vorderstoffeln indicate a palas with a side length of 18.5 meters on a platform of 52 x 52 meters.

• Kuno von Stoffeln (1365–1411), Prince-Abbot of St. Gallen Abbey.
• Konrad von Stoffeln (13th century), Minnesinger