Wiesneck Castle

Wiesneck Castle is today a castle ruin in the Wiesneck district of the municipality of Buchenbach in the Southern Black Forest in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district (Baden-Württemberg, Germany).

The ruin is located in the Zarten basin at the entrance to the Höllental, Wagensteigtal, and Unteribental valleys. The castle was strategically located and guarded the road that led up to the Thurner through the Wagensteigbach valley.

The village of Wiesneck had formed around the castle early on and was incorporated into Buchenbach in 1837.

The castle was first mentioned in a document in 1079 and was owned by the Counts of Haigerloch. In 1096, Count Adalberg of Haigerloch first named himself after the castle as "von Haigerloch-Wiesneck". Thus, the lords of the castle developed into rivals of the dominant Zähringer.

In 1118, Bruno von Haigerloch-Wiesneck founded the St. Märgen monastery. Around 1121, the castle was first destroyed by the Zähringer, but soon rebuilt by them. The family of the Counts of Haigerloch-Wiesneck died out around 1170, whereupon the castle and its possessions fell to the Counts of Hohenberg. They sold the castle in 1293.

During the Peasants' War, the castle complex was overrun and destroyed by a band of rebellious peasants under Hans von Bulgenbach, but was soon partially rebuilt.

In 1577, it passed to the Barons of Sickingen-Hoheburg. During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was destroyed by the French in 1646. Subsequently, the castle served as a quarry for the surrounding area.