Kaltenburg Castle

The origins of Kaltenburg Castle date back to the High Middle Ages, with its construction presumed between 1150 and 1180. Heinrich von Kalden, Imperial Marshal under Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, is mentioned as a possible founder. Under the Staufer dynasty, the dominion was immediately subordinate to the Empire and administered by ministeriales, including Dietmar (1240) and Otto von Kaltenburg (1265). In 1332, the castle came into the possession of the Counts of Helfenstein, who appointed Heinz Vetzer as Vogt. From 1357, the Lords of Riedheim took over Kaltenburg, holding it at times as a fief of the Duchy of Bavaria or as vogts of the Imperial City of Ulm. In the 15th century, other noble families such as the Grafeneck and Stadion also owned shares in the castle. In 1435, Kaltenburg was besieged and damaged by troops from the Imperial City of Nuremberg. Further destruction occurred in 1632/34 during the Thirty Years' War, but the Riedheims rebuilt the castle from 1677. A collapse of the southwest building in 1764 led to the use of its debris for the manor house in Reuendorf.