Burgruine Hölnstein und ihre Höhlen

Burladingen, Germany, Germany

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Burgruine Hölnstein, also known as Ruine Holstein or Ruine Stetten, is a medieval hilltop fortress ruin built directly into a sandstone rock above the village of Stetten unter Holstein, which belongs to the town of Burladingen in the Zollernalbkreis of Baden‑Württemberg, Germany.

The castle was probably founded in the 12th or early 13th century by the local noble family von Hölnstein and remained their seat until the lineage died out in the late 15th century, after which the fortress gradually fell into disrepair. The site is especially notable for several natural sandstone caves beneath its western side, including a large and a small cave as well as a passage‑like Durchgangshöhle, which gave the location the name Hölnstein (“hollow stone”) and are now an important part of the attraction.

Today extensive stone walls, parts of the former donjon and outbuildings, and the below‑ground vaulted cellar and wells are still visible, with the ruin and its caves managed by the local community as a freely accessible historical and hiking site.