Schiltach Castle (Ruin)

The exact date of the Schiltach Castle's construction is not clearly documented, but it is believed to have been built before 1250 by the Dukes of Teck, likely at the same time as the town of Schiltach below. Its primary purpose was to establish a supply center that could be administered, defended, and controlled from the castle. Presumably, Schiltach Castle, along with Klingenburg and Schilteck Castle, formed part of a defensive line of the Dukes of Teck to secure the Schiltach Valley. In 1371, the castle passed by inheritance to Konrad von Urslingen, a nephew of the deceased Hermann von Teck. Ten years later, in 1381, the Urslingers sold the complex to the Counts of Württemberg. As a Württemberg outpost, the castle subsequently served for national defense and permanently housed troops. After 1700, the castle began to decay due to continuous military use. Although it was repaired by the Swabian Circle in 1733, urgent repairs were again necessary by 1747. Since the castle was no longer needed in peacetime, the Duke finally agreed to the demolition and sale of all usable building materials. From 1749, wood, windows, stoves, and doors were removed and auctioned off, followed by further auctions of bricks and woodwork in 1760. The masonry was not to be damaged in the process.