Bichishausen

Bichishausen (Münsingen), The county of Reutlingen

The ruins of the rock castle Bichishausen lie between Münsingen and Zwiefalten and thus mark the border between Württemberg and Fürstenberg. In the 11th century the property and the surrounding area belonged to the Counts of Achalm and in the 13th century it was acquired by the Gundelfingers. The construction of the castle, whose ruins can now be visited, can be dated back to the first half of the 13th century and was probably administered either by Swigger IV of Gundelfingen or Konrad II. It was rebuild around 1300, which resulted in a typical shield wall castle with two courtyards. When the stewards of Magolsheim came into possession of the castle in the middle of the 14th century, possibly after the death of the last steward of Bichishausen or through sale, the castle was inherited by the Buttlar family in 1510. Henry Treisch of Buttlar, who was an imperial council and participated in the Turkish wars, had the castle adapted to contemporary living requirements and added the so-called “Zwinger.” After his death, it was no longer looked after and turned into a ruin.  It was entirely destroyed in the 17th century. After it went into private ownership in 1923, it was acquired by the city Reutlingen in 1972. The castle’s remains were restored and uncovered between the years of 1973 and 1975.

Burg Bichishausen von Horst Guth, Cinecopter