Weitenburg Castle

Weitenburg Castle is located in the Neckar Valley in the municipality of Starzach, between Börstingen and Sulzau, on the northern slope of the valley. As early as 1062, a fortified castle stood high above the Neckar. The Lords of Weitingen are presumed to be its builders. Over the centuries, it was expanded into a three-winged residential castle, whose various architectural styles reflect the spirit of the Renaissance, Baroque, and Neo-Gothic periods.

Weitenburg is first mentioned on June 15, 1437, when the then feudal lord Hans Pfuser von Nordstetten captured two envoys who were under the protection of Count Ludwig of Württemberg. Thereupon, Count Ludwig advanced to the castle, had it plundered, Pfuser's wife taken away, and a servant beheaded in Tübingen. At the end of the feud, he returned the castle to Hans Pfuser.

The main building of the castle is the "Ehingerbau," a simple three-story stone house with a huge gabled roof, which was largely built by Jakob von Ehingen in 1585. He had no children and therefore sold the castle to Duke Johann Friedrich of Württemberg, who immediately resold it. In 1656, the Pomeranian Colonel-Sergeant Quirin von Hönstett acquired the castle, adding the two side wings and a magnificent entrance gate to the main building. This impressive portal features lush cartouches in the broken pediment, into which the initials QVH are incorporated. The eastern wing was rebuilt in the 19th century in the Neo-Gothic style.

Finally, in 1720, Baron Rupert Rassler von Gamerschwang bought the Weitenburg estate for 43,000 Rhenish guilders. His descendants are still the owners today.

Part of the castle has been used as a hotel since 1954.