Haigerloch Castle (Römerturm)

Haigerloch Castle, also known as Römerturm (Roman Tower), Oberstadtturm (Upper Town Tower), Oberer Turm (Upper Tower) or Hoher Turm (High Tower), is the remnant of a castle on a narrow, elongated rock spur to the left of the Eyach in the upper town of Haigerloch in the Zollernalb district of Baden-Württemberg.

The hilltop castle was built around 1000 by the Lords of Haigerloch and mentioned in 1095 as "castrum Haigerloch", expanded in the 12th century and destroyed in the 13th century. Former owners of the castle also included the Counts of Hohenberg and the Princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. Since 1974, the city of Haigerloch has owned the complex.

The tower, which formerly had a half-timbered superstructure with a half-hipped roof, received its current form between 1744 and 1746 by the Haigerloch master builder Christian Großbayer on the occasion of its conversion into a bell tower for the St. Ulrich Upper Town Church, which was only a few meters away and was demolished in 1839. The "Römerturm" has no connection to the Roman era, but is a Romanesque building.

Before its conversion, the keep, built with bossage masonry, had a height of 19.5 meters with the entrance at a height of 10.5 meters on a base area of 10.8 by 10.8 meters with a wall thickness of 3.4 to 3.6 meters.