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Founded: 13th centuryCategory: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Habsburg Dynasty (Germany)
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The first mention of Wernberg Castle dates to 1280 when Konrad of Paulsdorfer bought the building. By the following year, Burg Wernberg was the family seat of the noble Notthafft family under the Landgrave of Leuchtenberg. By 1647 Wernberg came into the possession of the Electorate of Bavaria. During the Austrian War of Succession, the castle was used as a military camp.
In the 19th century, the castle was used for not-so-glamorous purposes. In 1804, it served as a prison, in 1861 as a rescue institution for fallen women and neglected girls. By 1873, serious consideration was given into just demolishing the building, but that idea never went anywhere.
The town of Wernberg acquired the castle in 1992 and rented it to the Conrad family for a term of 99 years. By 1998, the castle opened its doors as a hotel, becoming one of the top 100 best hotels in Germany in the same year.
References:Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.
The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.
These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.