Schauenberg Castle (Ruin) (Turbenthal)

Archaeological investigations between 1976 and 1979 revealed multiphase settlement of the Schauenberg. The earliest traces of a rampart-ditch system with palisades around the hilltop date back to the Bronze or Iron Age. A Roman key suggests possible use during Roman times. Around 1200, a first wooden castle with a cellar carved into the rock was built on the western side, while simple wooden structures existed on the other side. This early noble residence was protected by a rampart and ditch. Around 1250, the wooden castle was converted into a massive stone residential tower, with a neck ditch cut through the hilltop into the rock. The first documented mention as "castro Schowenberc" dates to 1260, although a Rudolf von Schauenberg appears in written sources as early as 1242. In 1302, St.