En un regard
Le château en bref
The Schauenburg, also called Schauenberg, is a former medieval fortress in the upper Danube valley. It stands on the Schaufelsen, a limestone spur on the valley rim at around 722 metres above sea level, some three kilometres south of Stetten am kalten Markt in the Sigmaringen district. Its name, derived from old terms for a lookout post, suits this natural viewpoint, which overlooks the river's meander from a sheer drop of about 120 metres. This hilltop castle was built in the 13th century by knights who took their name from it, possibly ministerials of the Counts of Hohenberg. Destroyed in the 15th century by the Counts of Sigmaringen, the fortress is described at the end of the same century as a mere ‘Burgstall’. Only low sections of wall remain, along with a remnant of a building in rough small masonry and two short stretches of ditch that delimit the main courtyard. The site is one of the many lost castles of the Danube cliffs between Beuron and Sigmaringen, within the Upper Danube Nature Park; visitors pass through mainly while hiking to the Schaufelsen viewpoint, one of the most spectacular vantage points in the valley.