Herrenberg Castle

The castle's origins date back to 1220, when it was first documented as "in castro nostro Herrenberc." Count Palatine Rudolf II of Tübingen used the castle in 1228 for an exchange of goods. Counts Palatine Rudolf I and Rudolf II settled Alamannic communities on the western slope of Herrenberg and founded a fortified town with the mountain castle. In 1382, ownership passed to Count Eberhard II of Württemberg. Later, the castle temporarily served as a dower for Mechthild, the wife of Count Ludwig I. Due to its location on a sandstone cap, the castle repeatedly suffered damage and subsidence, leading to the demolition of a tower in 1470. In the late 17th century, the Duke of Württemberg used the castle as a hunting residence. It was one of the few buildings to survive the city fire of 1635.