Hohenentringen Castle

Hohenentringen Castle is located in Baden-Württemberg on the edge of the Schönbuch forest, a little east of Entringen and west of Tübingen-Hagelloch. Although close to Entringen, it belongs to the municipality of Tübingen and can only be reached by public road from Hagelloch.

The first written mention of an Entringen nobleman is found in the founding charter of Hirsau Monastery from 1075. Noble knights are named as witnesses, among others an Adalbertus de Antringen. These built the castles in Entringen.

The ancestral castle of the Lords of Entringen was probably located east of the choir of St. Michael in Entringen. Graneck Castle was the middle castle, indicated by the field name Mittel-Bürketle. Only a few wall remains are preserved. Hohenentringen Castle was built in the 12th century on top of the mountain, probably because it was too unsafe down in the village.

Around 1300, the Lords of Entringen died out. Afterwards, the Ehinger, Hailfinger, and Gültlinger families took over the castle. The restaurant contains the coats of arms of twenty owner families. The current castle was built in the 15th and 16th centuries and was rebuilt several times.

In 1417, 5 related families inhabited the castle. On Sundays, they went to church with their 100 children in such a stately procession that the first arrived at the village while the last left the castle. This scene was painted in 1913 by Gunhild von Ow and hangs today in the guest room.

Georg von Ehingen (also called Jörg) was born in 1428 at Hohenentringen as one of 19 children of Rudolf von Ehingen and Agnes von Waldeck. As a knight, he traveled via Rhodes to the Holy Land and fought against the Turks. After being captured by the Arabs, he escaped and traveled via Venice back home to Kilchberg. In 1457, he embarked on a second journey to France, Spain, and Portugal. Here he fought in the service of kings. In a duel in Ceuta against the "heathens" of the King of Fès, he distinguished himself with great bravery. Afterwards, he visited the royal courts of England and Scotland. In 1458, he returned home again. In 1462, Jörg was chief bailiff and castle captain in Tübingen and served Count Eberhard im Barte. In 1473, the latter sent him to Italy as a suitor. Count Eberhard had bought parts of the castle in Entringen in 1468 and gave them to Barbara Gonzaga of Mantua as a wedding gift in 1474. She died at Hohenentringen in 1503.

The current mighty building was erected in 1720. The two farm buildings at the courtyard entrance date from 1724 and 1727. The educator Christian Heinrich Zeller was born at Hohenentringen on March 29, 1779. In 1877, the Barons von Ow became owners of the castle estate.

In the 20th century, the castle restaurant was a popular excursion destination for students from Tübingen. The cider punch was famous. In 1908, a Dr. Bernhard Rost from Chemnitz published the songbook of Hohenentringen in Tübingen.

Today, the castle restaurant is run by the tenant family Bauer.