The remains of the Castle can be visited
RuinStorzingen
Weckenstein Castle (Ruin)
Weckenstein Castle, also known as Heidenschloss Storzingen, is an early medieval castle ruin south of Storzingen, a district of Stetten am kalten Markt in the Sigmaringen district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was the ancestral seat of the noble family of Weckenstein.
The ruin of the spur castle is located on a wooded valley edge to the right of the Schmeie valley at an altitude of around 700 meters above sea level between Storzingen and Oberschmeien in the Upper Danube Nature Park. It was built in a strategically favorable location on a terrain spur that slopes steeply on the north and south sides. East of the castle and located at approximately 620 m, the river Schmeie flows south towards the Danube.
Weckenstein Castle is one of the early castle complexes in the region. Its foundation is dated before 1150. A social classification of the Weckenstein family is uncertain. An assignment of the Weckensteiners to the high nobility is just as conceivable as one to the Edelfreie (free nobles).
Knight Burkhard von Weckenstein is documented in 1212 as the founder of the Cistercian monastery of Wald. His sister Judintha became abbess and Ita became prioress. Before that, however, he acquired a plot of land south of Storzingen from Ulrich von Balbe, on which there was also a small church. He abandoned the plans to build a Cistercian monastery there for his two sisters Judintha and Ita after the foundation in Wald, in favor of the castle built between 1227 and 1233. At this time, Burkhard was in the service of Emperor Frederick II.
His name appears repeatedly in documents: He is a witness to a donation of goods to Wald Monastery (1230), and to the transfer of the Boos estate to the sisters of Mengen by Count Gottfried von Sigmaringen (1231). The Counts of Veringen (1236/37), Heiligenberg (1240) or Helfenstein (1241) also included him as a witness in their documents. Konrad von Weckenstein (1238-1249) and Hermann von Weckenstein (1250) entered the Cistercian Abbey of Salem as monks. In 1287, a Konrad von Weckenstein is mentioned in the service of Duke Konrad von Teck. In a document from 1304, Count Eberhard von Nellenburg calls the brothers Johann, Heinrich and Burkhard von Weckenstein his loyal followers.
The Weckenstein family bore a silver lozenge standing on the tip of a green triple mountain on a red shield as their coat of arms. The lozenge shape is called a "Wecke" in heraldic language. The Weckensteiners probably owed their name to the castle's floor plan - which resembles a lozenge.
In 1382, a Johann von Weckenstein is mentioned on the occasion of the endowment of a mass prebend in the chapel in Ebingen. This was the last mention of a Weckensteiner. With the extinction of the family, the decline of the ancestral castle also began. In 1410 or 1460, it is referred to as a "Burgstall" (castle site) in a border description on the occasion of the enfeoffment of the Werdenbergers with the County of Sigmaringen.
Weckenstein Castle and the Pilgrimage+
The discovery of a pilgrim badge from Cologne, dated to the mid-12th to late 13th century, depicting the Three Magi at Weckenstein Castle, suggests that it played a role in medieval pilgrimages from the 12th to the mid-14th century.
The transversely rectangular flat cast with four side eyelets, preserved in the archive of the Archaeological State Museum of Baden-Württemberg in Konstanz, shows the Three Magi on the left in the act of homage. Each holds a staff resting on the ground. The other arm is bent and holds a gift. Opposite, the crowned Mother of God with the child is enthroned. In the central gable, the winged bust of the star angel appears.
This is remarkable because only 27 such finds are known from this period throughout Baden-Württemberg.
Layout+
The castle's floor plan, the defensive walls, and the tower's position are clearly visible. The masonry has completely broken away in some places, while in others it is still complete. Where only the wall core remains, the mortar is very firm.
The castle complex on the ridge-shaped rock is freely accessible. It is separated in the south (mountain side) by a narrow neck ditch, a natural rock slab in front of a rock ridge. Access is found on the southern mountain flank through the moat via an extended forecourt.
A forest path leads to the forecourt with a cellar pit. The cellar pit is the possible location of the former economic building. The forecourt leads into an outer courtyard, which is located in front of the actual core castle.
The core castle is surrounded by a still quite high polygonal curtain wall. This sits on the very outside of the rock, but is dilapidated and no longer closed in various places, the stones are partly loose.
The center of the core castle is a castle courtyard measuring approximately 30 x 40 meters. On the left side, remnants of the rubble masonry have been preserved. In their extension on the right side, the remains of the core masonry lie as a scree cone. The location of the former gate is presumed to be adjacent here. In the inner castle courtyard on the left (north side), depressions and wall debris indicate the location of the outbuilding. In the east (valley side), the possible location of the former main building (palas) is situated in an exposed position.
Renovation+
Over the centuries, the once stately complex fell into disrepair and became a ruin. The complex is now owned by the municipality of Stetten. In February 2009, the State Office for Monument Preservation Baden-Württemberg announced that the castle ruin had been classified as a cultural monument according to §2 of the Monument Protection Act for Baden-Württemberg, whose preservation is of public interest, especially for reasons of local history. An on-site inspection had already taken place in the summer of 2008.
In March 2009, all the documents for monument preservation were submitted in Tübingen so that the scope of the renovation could be determined there and the necessary financial resources could be provided. The initiator of the renovation measures is the Stetten citizen Günter Gratius. A survey and building history investigation, as well as the removal of the heavy tree growth, were ordered. The costs for the survey are borne by the State Office. Support for the renovation is provided by the "Aktion Ruinenschutz Oberes Donautal e.V." (Ruin Protection Upper Danube Valley Association).
For the preservation of the ruin, the removal of the tall tree growth and wild shrubs, which began in April 2009, was sensible. The topographical survey of the castle complex was also completed in April 2009. While the old masonry has completely broken away in some places, it is still almost completely present in others. The entire floor plan of the castle, the former defensive walls, and the position of the tower are clearly visible to the observer. On the originally unusually strong shield wall, the wall shell is missing, the wall core lies open and unprotected. Afterwards, a wide ramp was laid to the castle forecourt to enable the logistical execution of the upcoming renovation work on the loose masonry.
Approval of funds by the State Office is still pending, further information is expected in early July 2009, but the Schwörer Foundation, among others, has pledged a donation.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image: Zollernalb / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 48.1208, 9.1262