Burghalde Castle (Ruin) Kempten

The Burghalde of the former imperial city of Kempten (Allgäu) was originally the seat of the bailiffs of the monastery located outside the city walls. In the late Middle Ages, the complex was incorporated into the city's fortifications as a citadel. Today, the area on the edge of the old town is a popular local recreation area. In 1950/51, an open-air stage was set up in the interior.

After the Alemannic invasions in the 3rd century AD, the late Roman Cambodunum on today's Lindenberg was abandoned and relocated to the foot of the Burghalde. The hill served as a fortified seat for the prefect of Legio III Italica, under whose protection the settlement could continue to exist for some time, but then became deserted.

In the early Middle Ages, the bailiffs of Kempten Abbey resided on the former meander hill of the Iller. The bailiwick was owned by the Welfs around 1150, and in 1191 it passed to the Staufer dynasty.

In 1363, the fortress was stormed and destroyed by the imperial city. In 1379, the monastery finally sold the complex to the city. In 1488, reconstruction began to turn it into a citadel for the city's fortifications. In 1496 and 1525, the fortifications were modernized and the curtain wall was raised. A final expansion by French troops took place during the War of the Spanish Succession (1703). Just two years later, the Imperial forces razed the complex again. In 1870, the gatehouse was built in the north of the former castle.

After the Second World War, the area was transformed into a local recreation area. In 1950/51, as part of these measures, a small open-air stage in the style of an ancient amphitheater was created. Since 2004, the castle museum of the Allgäu Castle Association has been housed in the gatehouse.