Ekensholm Castle is a manor house located in Flen Municipality, in Södermanland County. It is most known for being the residence of the Archduchess of Austria. Ekensholm Castle sits on the northern side of Dunkern lake, and is close to the small towns of Dunker and Hässelby. It is located in Dunker Parish. The current version of the manor was built in 1827 for the Swedish lieutenant and politician Baron Knut Kurck, who was briefly suspected of and arrested for the 1792 murder of King Gustav III of Sweden.
Today, the castle is the home of Count Archibald Douglas and his wife, Walburga Habsburg Douglas. From 2007 to 2008, the equestrian trainer at the manor trained a horse, Salut, for use by the Swedish Royal Guard.
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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.