Untere Burg ('Lower Castle'), also known colloquially as Burg Alt-Schellenberg, is the smaller and newer one of the two ruined castles in Schellenberg. Its construction was finished around 1250. Its first appearance in written records is from 1317. The castle reached the pinnacle of its structural expansion around the year 1350. According to current estimates, it was inhabited until roughly the 16th century, when it was abandoned and ceased to function as a residence. In the following centuries, the castle lost its military purpose and became a ruin. In 1956, Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein handed over ownership of the heavily overgrown ruin to the Historical Association of the Principality of Liechtenstein. This institution is the current owner and caretaker of the ruin and oversees its research, upkeep and preservation. The castle is freely open to tourists and accessible by foot or mountain bike via a local footpath. Untere Burg is one of the five existing castles in Liechtenstein and one of the three ruined ones in the country.

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Founded: c. 1250
Category: Castles and fortifications in Liechtenstein

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