Hohenurach
Bad Urach, The county of Reutlingen
The impressive castle was home to the Counts of Urach, who were first mentioned as such in 1235. Their influence stretched far beyond the Ermstal into Münsingen, St. Johann, Wittlingen and Hengen. In 1218, they received possessions in the Black Forest and Breisgau as part of Zähringer heritage. However, their momentum got lost, when they became part of the military conflict between Emperor Frederick II and his son Henry VII. With their defeat, the Württembergs acquired Hohenurach from 1254 to 1265. Around 1428, the old castle was extensively rebuild and remodeled. After the castle had been taken by the Swabian League in 1519, Duke Ulrich recaptured it in 1534. Between 1535 and 1555, he and his son Duke Christoph expanded it into an early modern fortress. From then on, it also served as a prison. Among those imprisoned were philologist and poet Nicodemus Frischlin or the lawyer and privy councilor of Württemberg Matthäus Enzlin. Hohenurach was abandoned in 1765 and cleared for demolition. Among other things, it apparently served as a quarry to gain building material for the construction of the Grafeneck hunting lodge. About one century later, the head of the Urach forestry department, Philipp Freiherr of Hügel, raised awareness for the preservation of the Hohenurach by renovating the largely inaccessible castle so that tourists could visit safely.
Burgruine Hohenurach von Horst Guth, Cinecopter