Hohenwittlingen ruined castle stands above Wittlingen district of Bad Urach and offers a fabulous view of the Erms valley. You can combine a visit here with a walk to the Wolfschlucht (Wolf Ravine) and the Schillerhöhle cave.
Hohenwittlingen was first documented in 1248 as the property of the Dukes of Urach. In 1251 it came into the possession of the Dukes of Württemberg, for whom it was primarily an important military base. In 1548 the castle offered sanctuary to the reformer Johannes Brenz of Württemberg (1499–1570).
The castle was badly damaged by fire In 1576, after which it was only partially repaired. After the Thirty Years' War the castle became a prison for 'poachers and other wrongdoers'. It then fell into ruin. By the 18th century the abandoned castle was still offering the farmers of Wittlingen protection when enemy troops approached. After this, however, it was abandoned.
The ruins (near the Wittlingen district of Bad Urach) are freely accessible, but only on foot.
References:Rosenborg Palace was built in the period 1606-34 as Christian IV’s summerhouse just outside the ramparts of Copenhagen. Christian IV was very fond of the palace and often stayed at the castle when he resided in Copenhagen, and it was here that he died in 1648. After his death, the palace passed to his son King Frederik III, who together with his queen, Sophie Amalie, carried out several types of modernisation.
The last king who used the place as a residence was Frederik IV, and around 1720, Rosenborg was abandoned in favor of Frederiksborg Palace.Through the 1700s, considerable art treasures were collected at Rosenborg Castle, among other things items from the estates of deceased royalty and from Christiansborg after the fire there in 1794.
Soon the idea of a museum arose, and that was realised in 1833, which is The Royal Danish Collection’s official year of establishment.