The remains of the castle can be visited
CastleWeilheim an der Teck
Limburg Castle
The Limburg ruin is the ruin of a hilltop castle near the town of Weilheim an der Teck in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg.
The ruin of the castle is located on the summit of the Limburg, 598 meters above sea level, the local mountain of the town of Weilheim an der Teck, a conical mountain of volcanic origin, north of the Albtrauf and in the foothills of the central Swabian Alb.
Almost no parts of the ruin remain.
The hillfort, built around 1060 by Count Berthold I of Zähringen, is first mentioned in 1077. It is considered the ancestral castle of the Zähringen family, founded by its builder. Around 1100, the Zähringer moved their main residence to the new Zähringen Castle in Breisgau and no longer called themselves "Count of Lintburg"/"Margrave of Lintburg", but Zähringer. The Limburg was probably destroyed during the Investiture Controversy, rebuilt, and inhabited by vassals of the Zähringer from the lower Weilheim nobility. Around 1130, it was probably destroyed anew and rebuilt once more. Only in 1150, when the Zähringer built the stronger Teck Castle, did it lose its significance and, together with Teck Castle, fell to Adalbert, the founder of the Dukes of Teck. It was abandoned, and after its decay, the "Michaelskapelle" (Michael's Chapel) was erected on the summit plateau in the 15th century.
Layout+
The former castle complex had an oval main castle, divided into a northern and southern section by a section ditch. The keep had an almost square base area of 8 by 8 meters.
The chapel, built later, was located in the northern area of the former core castle. Only remnants of its walls also survived.
Dragon Legend+
The Limburg is associated with the legend of a voracious dragon, known as "The Dragon on the Limburg". According to the legend, the huge dragon lived in a rock hole on the Limburg and devoured the inhabitants in the surrounding area during its raids. Worn down by the constant threat of death, many people moved far away from the Limburg. When the Emperor heard of this misfortune and no knight was willing to kill the terrible dragon, he ordered that two people be chosen by lot each day as a sacrifice to appease the dragon. One day, the lot fell on the Emperor's beautiful daughter. And although the Emperor had great power, he could not help her or revoke his previously given command. Great sorrow fell upon the land. But as the girl was about to be sacrificed, a foreign knight on a white horse rushed to the scene. After a long struggle, the knight managed to strike the dragon's heart with his lance and kill it. The people erupted in cheers, and before they could wonder who this knight was, he quietly disappeared. They never learned who this knight was; some say it was Saint George, others believe the Archangel Gabriel had freed the people. In gratitude, the people built a chapel on the summit of the Limburg in honor of the knight.
Take Mobile History with you
You are reading this text for free. Premium adds what matters on the road: descriptions read aloud, sites found through your camera, whole regions taken offline.
- Every description, including the ~17,700 Premium sites
- Audio guide: have descriptions read to you on location
- AR finder: see sites through your camera, with distance and bearing
- Unlimited saved sites
14 days free, then from €2.99 a month. Cancel anytime.
Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image: R.kaelcke / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 48.6042, 9.5364