The former Imperial Palace (Kaiserpfalz) in Kaiserslautern was built in around 1152 by Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa. The only remaining parts of the Imperial Palace are a few carved blocks of red sandstone and remnants of the stone outer wall of the double chapel added by Frederick II.
Following the excavation of the rest of the Imperial Palace and the evaluation of the findings, the city mounted the historic foundations. The Domus (imperial building) originally measured 25 by 19 meters and was 19 meters high. In order to get a real sense of the size of the building, a 3D steel and tamped concrete construction that imitates the size and shape of the Imperial Palace was built.
You can see the remains of the castle wall, which have now been fully uncovered, just next to what was the Imperial Palace. The Stapf fortress was also rebuilt in this location. The fortress was erected at the beginning of the Thirty Years’ War, in around 1619/1620, by fortress builder Adam Stapf on the orders of the widow of Frederick IV, Elector Palatine of the Rhine. Stapf built primary defensive walls with trenches, bastions and curtain walls which protected the medieval castle and city walls.
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.