Ravensburg Castle

The origins of Ravensburg Castle are not fully clear, although a 17th-century chronicle attributes its construction around 930 to a knight Rabanus, which is now considered a legend. The castle was likely built between 1220 and 1222 on behalf of Emperor Frederick II by the imperial ministerialis Ravan von Wimpfen and his sons. It subsequently served as the ancestral seat of the Sulzfeld family, who later adopted the name Göler von Ravensburg. By 1364, Ravensburg Castle was at least partially allodial property of the Göler family, who later received their share back as a fief from Count Wilhelm II of Katzenelnbogen. A part of the castle was also enfeoffed to the Counts of Oettingen. After a period of near extinction in the 15th century, Martin Göler secured the family's continuation, which was reflected in construction activity at the castle. During the Reformation and the Peasants' War in 1525, Ravensburg Castle remained unharmed.