Burg Laubenbergerstein

Burg Laubenbergerstein stands on a small, rocky hill overlooking the Iller river, north of Immenstadt. Its construction combines the robust local Nagelfluh conglomerate stone with quarried sandstone blocks and river cobbles. The castle includes wooden elements, especially in its upper floors, which were built using half-timbered techniques typical of later medieval architecture.

Access to the site is now from the south, leading to a massive main gate known as the “Bollwerk” on the eastern side of the castle. This entrance path climbs steeply through what was once a neck ditch—a defensive trench separating the castle from the surrounding land—which has largely been filled in over time. Visitors pass through a forecourt and two gate buildings before reaching a square gate tower, believed to be the original medieval bergfried, or main defensive tower.

Behind the gate tower, a wooden bridge once crossed the neck ditch, connecting the entrance to the castle’s core. On the western edge of the site rises a large artillery tower, or donjon, built around 1450 following the attacks in 1449 by Count Hugo von Montfort’s forces. This tower features sandstone-framed openings specifically designed for artillery guns and cannon fire, reflecting the military advancements of the late medieval period. Restoration since 1977 has largely rebuilt this tower, especially its eastern face, making it accessible to visitors on special occasions.

A wooden gallery from the 17th century once linked this prominent artillery tower with the smaller gate tower, providing sheltered passage between the two. The castle’s inner ward contains a small courtyard spacious enough for carts to turn around, beyond which lies the palas—the main residential building—with upper stories constructed in the characteristic half-timbered style.

To the east of the main structures, the remains of a zwinger—a fortified outer ward built to protect the castle’s walls—can still be found, albeit only in fragmentary form. This section included an outer gate to the north and a semicircular shell tower in the southeast, of which only a short, unrestored portion remains.

South-east of the gate tower, just above the main entrance, stood a small chapel whose remains have mostly collapsed into the neck ditch. One notable artifact from this chapel, a late Gothic altar wing, has been preserved and is now housed in Schloss Rauhenzell.

By the mid-20th century, parts of the castle, including the upper sections of the gate tower and the eastern side of the artillery tower, were lost to decay. Restoration efforts undertaken from the late 20th century onward have reconstructed these elements, although early work did not always follow historical accuracy. Today, the eastern side of the artillery tower is almost completely rebuilt and accessible, while other portions of the castle bear traces of both medieval construction and modern preservation. Despite a small sign at the entrance indicating restrictions, the ruins are freely accessible and considered safe to explore.