On the north-western outskirts of Schramberg, on a hilltop at the exit of the valley basin, lies Schilteck Castle. On the opposite side of the original entrance, you can now enter the castle ruins, which were once part of a defence line of the Schiltach valley.
Originally, Schilteck was a simple square fortification with a keep, two outer walls and a kennel. Parts of the defensive wall and the keep in beautiful ashlars can still be seen. The mighty neck ditch is also still clearly visible.
History of the castle:
Schilteck Castle was probably built by a feudal lord of the Dukes of Teck around 1200. In 1225 it is mentioned for the first time in a document, the owner being Hug der Alte, Lord auf Schilteck. The lords of Schilteck owned numerous farms in Schramberg and the surrounding area as fiefs. In the 13th and 14th centuries, they sold plenty of landed property from the area around Rottweil, Schwenningen and Tuttlingen, where they also owned estates.
As a result, Schilteck Castle changed hands several times. After it had been owned by Herter zu Dusslingen von Wildenstein (in the Eschach valley) and Count Rudolf von Hohenberg (Heuberg), among others, Duke Leopold of Austria awarded the castle to the Württembergers. In 1496 it fell to the lordship of Schramberg under Ludwig von Rechberg. But even this dynasty was not lord of Schilteck Castle for long and had to pawn it again in the following generations.
Now Schilteck was uninhabited for a long time and was even used as a quarry, so that it fell more and more into disrepair. Since 1953, the castle has been maintained by the Court Association and is freely accessible.
