Wildenstein Castle

Look up from the Upper Danube Valley near Beuron and you will spot white walls and red roofs high on the cliff edge, as if they had grown out of the limestone. Wildenstein Castle stands a good 200 metres above the Danube and is one of the best-preserved hilltop castles in Germany. The main castle and outer bailey sit on rocks cut vertical by hand and can only be reached by bridges. Today it is a youth hostel, but the courtyard and castle inn are open to hikers and day visitors.

History: the costly fortress of the Lords of Zimmern

The castle dates from the 13th century, replacing several smaller rock castles nearby; a supposed mention in 1077 is a forgery. Its present form is the work of Gottfried Werner von Zimmern, who turned it into an early modern fortress from 1514. By 1554 it had become a rare hybrid of castle and fortress: deep moats with drawbridges, rock faces cut back by about 25 metres and little to aim at for cannons. Gottfried Werner spent around 40,000 guilders on it. The family's 1,500-page Zimmern Chronicle is the reason Wildenstein is still seen as the Zimmern castle.

In 1627 it passed to the House of Fürstenberg. In early 1945, after Freiburg was bombed, the university's Faculty of Philosophy moved here with ten professors and 30 students, probably at the suggestion of philosopher Martin Heidegger, born in nearby Meßkirch. The castle was sold to the youth hostel association in 1971.

What to see

• Moat and bridge: The neck ditch in front of the main castle is 20 metres wide and was once 20 metres deep; the bridge across is a small test for anyone afraid of heights.
• Courtyard: The heart of the 16th-century fortress, with the castle inn.
• Chapel: Coats of arms of Gottfried Werner and his wife, and copies of the Wildenstein Altarpiece by the Master of Meßkirch, whose original is now in the Würth Collection.
• Wall paintings: Renaissance murals from 1538–1540, with birds, tendrils and a cycle of the Sigenot legend; they are in hostel rooms and not always open.

Opening hours (as of October 2026)

The castle inn opened on 28 March in 2026 and runs until the end of the autumn school holidays, daily 11:00–17:00 except Mondays (open every day in school holidays), with extra evening hours on Fridays, Saturdays and in the holidays. It is closed in winter.

Getting there

Drive via Leibertingen; the castle is about 15 minutes' walk from the village and has 30 free parking spaces. Cyclists on the Danube cycle path can turn off at the footbridge near the Maurus Chapel, but expect to push your bike up a steep gravel track for around 45 minutes.

Tripto tip

The best photo is from the Bandfelsen rock across the valley. Allow an hour for the castle, half a day with a meal and a walk. Beuron Abbey and the medieval building site of Campus Galli are close by.