Oberes Baliken Castle (Ruin) (Blattenbach)

The ruins of Ober Baliken Castle are located on a round hill with a diameter of just under 30 meters. During excavations in 1936, remnants of a pentagonal tower were discovered, which is unique for this region. The wall thickness is approximately 1.5 meters, and one side length is a good 5 meters long. Access was from the north via a wide ditch, and the entrance is presumed to be on the south side.

It could have been a residential tower covered by a wooden upper story. A stable might have been attached to the south of the tower. It is conceivable that it was surrounded by a curtain wall, even if no traces of it have survived.

Since neither written records nor archaeological finds are available, the exact period of the castle's construction cannot be determined; a time around 1200 or slightly earlier is assumed. The construction may have been related to the Way of St. James, which passes above the castle. The complex was abandoned or destroyed by the 15th century at the latest.

About 800 meters southwest of Ober Baliken stood the Unter Baliken complex; directly northwest above the houses in the Grundtal valley on a hill between the railway and the road. It was surrounded by a double ring ditch. Today, no wall remains are visible. Part of the northern foreland fell victim to the construction of the railway cutting.