Kaltenburg Castle

The castle was built during the High Middle Ages and though ruined, most of the walls are intact.

About 500 m north of the castle is the Charlottenhöhle one of the longest caves in Schwäbischen Alb.

[1] Under the Hohenstaufen kings the rulers of Kaltenburg swore fealty only to the Emperor, an unusual privilege for a German noble.

They had received the castle either as a loan from the Duchy of Bavaria or they were serving as a landvogt or administrator for the Imperial City of Ulm.

During the 15th century several nobles occupied the castle including the von Grafeneck and Stadion families.

Finally, after the destruction of the Thirty Years' War, it was rebuilt in 1677 and the two remaining square towers were added.

In the north west, under the ruins of the outer wall, a part of the older moat is still visible.

The outer walls with the foundations of the round towers on the hill side, have been extensively restored and repaired.

On the valley side, the two tall square towers date from the 1677 reconstruction.