Weinsberg Castle Ruins, Weinsberg, Germany

Weinsberg castle was established on a mountain at the trade route running from Heilbronn to Schwäbisch Hall around the year 1000. In 1140 the castle was besieged by Konrad III in the course of the struggles between the Staufers and the Welfs. Finally it had to surrender on December 21, 1140, since the army of Welf VI to release the castle had been defeated by the Staufers in a battle. According to the report of the Chronica regia Coloniensis, the women of the castle were granted free departure and allowed to take what they could carry on their backs. They carried down their men, and so saved their lives, since the king adhered to his word. The women became known as treue Weiber ('loyal women'). The castle (today's ruin) is called Weibertreu due to this occurrence.

On April 16, 1525 (Easter Sunday), during the German Peasants' War, the peasants attacked and destroyed the castle, which was already damaged from an earlier attack in 1504. They then proceeded to execute the nobleman who had been in command of both town and castle and who had treated the peasants very badly several times before.

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User Reviews

Marko Vuletić (5 months ago)
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Marvin Blank (5 months ago)
I thoroughly enjoyed being carried around this castle on my wife's back.

Io Lo (2 years ago)
Once, back in the twelfth century, during the time of noble and brave knights, a king named Conrad III captured this fortress from the VI Duke of Welf. And the king told to the wives of the defenders of the castle, that they could be free with whatever they could carry from the castle. They carried away their husbands, the defenders of the castle. It is a wonderful story. Nowadays here you can walk endlessly long through wine fields, apple orchards, and there is even a small forest at the height of a neighboring mountain, where you can also walk in the hot summer in the shade of tall trees. We really like this place.

Jonathan Lim (3 years ago)
The Weibertreu castle ruins are the ruins of a hilltop castle in the town of Weinsberg in the Heilbronn district in Baden-Württemberg, probably built in the early 11th century . The castle is known for the eponymous "Treu-Weiber-incident" on December 21, 1140, when, after the surrender of the besieged castle, the women (later called "Treue Weiber von Weinsberg") saved their men from execution by rescuing them carried down the mountain on their backs. It is a fabulous place for a walk and the slopes are populated with vines that belong to the Staatsweingut (I wrote a review on that as well, they have absolutely fantastic wines and top notch service). On a clear day you can see far into Heilbronn and also Neckarwestheim. I would come here again in a heartbeat.

Moritz Waldmann (4 years ago)
Very nice place for a walk, fresh air, wonderful view.

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Sigmaringen Castle

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.

Weinsberg Castle Ruins

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