Burg-Blauenstein

Blaubeuren, Germany, Germany

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Burg Blauenstein near Blaubeuren, Germany, was a small 13th-century spur castle built by the Counts of Helfenstein on the 654-meter Blaufelsen rock to guard the northern Alb plateau and trade routes into the town.

First mentioned in 1303 when sold as a fief to Austrian dukes, it changed hands through noble families and Ulm before Duke Ulrich of Württemberg besieged it unsuccessfully in 1519, leading to its decline as baufällig by 1553.

Completely vanished by 1699 with even its blockhouse gone and materials sold off by 1773, only a neck ditch and section trench remain today as a subtle hiking viewpoint over Blaubeuren.