Tickets are available directly from the Hohentwiel Information Centre and in advance from the Tourist Information Office!
Former volcano with rare animals and plants
Nine million years ago, the Hegau was a landscape of volcanoes. Later, the rising magma cooled and became very hard. During the ice ages, the outer, softer tuff of the volcanic cone was eroded away, leaving only the steeply rising rock of Hohentwiel, which stuck in the former volcanic crater like a cork in a wine bottle. Numerous rare animal and plant species can be found on the 108-hectare Hohentwiel site: Hawks, ravens, butterflies as well as endangered species of bees and grasshoppers.
Well-protected site on several levels
The fortress on Hohentwiel is built up in several levels: the lower entrance, the Alexander Gate, the upper castle with the Princely House, the barracks and the church tower as the highest peak. Protected on the one hand by steeply sloping cliffs and on the other by the enormous fortress structures, the nine-hectare site was secure on all sides.
A world apart
Not only the residential buildings of the princes, the accommodation for the garrison and the defensive fortifications were part of the fortress, but also the surrounding countryside. It was a matter of independence and survival. Whether ducal visitors or the soldiers and their families - all had to be supplied with wood, grain, hay and wine. Therefore, in addition to the actual fortress on top of the rock, there was an outer castle halfway up the hill and an estate, a so-called domain, down in the valley.
