En un regard
Le château en bref
Altwildenstein is the old castle of Wildenstein: a ruined rock castle in the municipality of Leibertingen, above the upper Danube valley. It stands, at about 766 metres above sea level, on the last rocky spur at the corner of a side valley opening onto the Danube, some fifty metres north of the still-standing castle of Wildenstein. It belonged to a group of small rock fortresses, including the site known as Hexenturm, which preceded the great fortress of the 13th century. Surface potsherds date its foundation to around 1200. The lords of Wildenstein, to whom it was attached, appear in the records of the abbey of Salem between 1168 and 1174. The core of the castle, measuring about 18 × 9 metres, held a residential tower and its outbuildings; below it, a terrace housed a lower bailey protected on the mountain side by a rock-cut ditch. Remaining are sections of wall and a row of notches that once held beams. After 1263, the site was abandoned in favour of the new castle of Wildenstein. The ruins, located in a protected natural area, are not open to visitors, but the paths in the area offer views of the rock.