Heuneburg Celtic Hillfort

White mud-brick walls, a timber wall-walk on top and thatched half-timbered houses behind: what stands on the Heuneburg above the upper Danube looks more Mediterranean than Swabian, and that is exactly what makes it special. In the 6th century BC this was an early Celtic princely seat with a city wall built on a Mediterranean model. The Heuneburg is one of Central Europe's best-known Celtic sites and is often called the oldest town north of the Alps; some scholars identify it with "Pyrene", mentioned by the Greek historian Herodotus, hence its current name.

History: Celts building in mud brick

The spur was already settled in the Middle Bronze Age, but its heyday came in the early Celtic period. The citadel was about 300 metres long and up to 150 metres wide, with a fortified outer bailey and a lower town of some 100 hectares. Its wall was made of sun-dried mud bricks on a limestone base, a technique otherwise unknown north of the Alps, and was probably whitewashed to protect it from rain.

Excavations began in 1950. Between 2005 and 2008 archaeologists uncovered the stone foundations of a monumental city gate, and in 2010 the grave of a Celtic princess nearby was lifted out as a 100-tonne block of earth and dated to 583 BC. Lidar surveys suggest only about a third of the site has been excavated.

What to see

• Mud-brick wall and gate: Over 80 metres of wall with a wall-walk, reconstructed on the original site.
• Lord's house and buildings: A large thatched house, dwelling, granary and workshop.
• The view across the Danube valley to the Bussen hill and, on clear days, the Alps.
• Circular trail: An 8-km archaeological path to burial mounds and surroundings.
• Celtic Museum in Hundersingen with original finds, in a tithe barn from 1783.

Opening hours and prices (as of October 2026)

1 April to 1 November, Tuesday to Sunday and public holidays 10:00–17:00, last entry 16:30; closed in winter. Admission including the standard tour €8, reduced €4, family €20; standard tours on Sundays at 12:00 and 14:00.

Getting there

Heuneburg 1–2, 88518 Herbertingen-Hundersingen, about 14 km east of Sigmaringen. By train to Herbertingen, then on-demand bus 419, or follow the Danube cycle path from Herbertingen or Mengen.

Good to know

The free "Monument BW" app offers a self-guided tour, and in 2026 a special exhibition traces the history of beer brewing since Celtic times. The circular trail leads among other places to the Hohmichele, one of the largest surviving burial mounds in Central Europe. The Celtic Museum is housed in the former tithe barn of Heiligkreuztal Abbey, which is itself worth a stop nearby.

Tripto tip

Come for a Sunday tour and allow one to two hours, or half a day with the museum and the trail.