Ruine Schilteck

Schramberg, Germany, Germany

---

Ruine Schilteck is the ruin of a medieval spur castle located on a hilltop about 520 meters above sea level, north above the town of Schramberg in the Rottweil district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, at the valley exit toward Schiltach in the Black Forest.

The castle was built around 1200 by the Dukes of Teck or one of their feudatories and was first mentioned in a 1225 document, when Hug der Alte (Hug the Old), Lord of Schilteck, was its owner. It was probably part of a defensive line to monitor and secure the Schiltach valley, along with the Klingenburg in Schiltach-Lehengericht and Burg Schiltach, all also built by the Herren von Teck.

Originally a simple square fortification with a 20-meter-high keep (bergfried), two outer walls, and a forecourt (zwinger), the castle changed hands many times over the centuries, including owners like Herter zu Dusslingen, von Wildenstein, Count Rudolf von Hohenberg, the Herren von Ow and Neuneck, and the Counts of Württemberg.

In 1496, it passed to Ludwig von Rechberg and the lordship of Schramberg, but the Rechberg family had to pledge it repeatedly in subsequent generations, leading to gradual decay, and after 1553 when the roof of the keep was removed, the castle was uninhabited and used as a quarry, sealing its fate.