Willenburg

Willenburg stands near Schiltach, Germany, and was erected by medieval German nobles, most likely either the first dukes of Teck (a branch of the House of Zähringen) or the dukes of Zähringen themselves.

The stronghold was constructed around the year 1100 and served the practical needs of overland travel. From its elevated position it controlled an old mountain road toward Rottweil, overseeing traffic and collecting tolls on behalf of its builders. Its location above the pass road made it a point of administration and surveillance for travellers and goods moving through the area.

By about 1250 the town and castle of Schiltach assumed the functions previously carried out at Willenburg. After that date the former fortress fell into disuse and decline. In the Late Middle Ages the site was already described as a lost or levelled castle, showing that active occupation and maintenance had ended long before modern times.

The ruined site remained out of regular attention until local members of the Friends of Nature rediscovered it in 1959. Systematic excavations followed between 1959 and 1970. Finds from those digs are exhibited at the Museum am Markt in Schiltach.