Vizmburk Castle was founded by Tas or Peter of Skalice and it was mentioned first time in 1279. This noble house with the stirrup in their coat of arms was known already in the 12th century, when their members held the burgrave office in Kladsko. The Vizmburk estate was a fairly large one with the economic centre in the town of Úpice.
In 1330 the the lords of Dubá owned the estate. Jiří of Dubá supported the Hussites movement which resulted in frequent raids of his estate by Silesian troops. The princes and burghers of Silesia and Lusatia eventually sealed the faith of the Vizmburk castle. Instead of arms they used the power of money. In 1447 the castle was bought up and intentionally demolished.
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.