Hauenfels Castle

Hauenfels Castle was a cave castle near the Teufelsküche (Devil's Kitchen) on the Ölberg (Mount of Olives) near Gütighofen, close to Ehrenkirchen in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district (Baden-Württemberg).

Its history is largely unexplored. It is disputed whether the solid structure on the Ölberg is even a castle complex. The name Hauenfels also stems from an erroneous interpretation of the mention "Huwensteine", which should correctly be translated as Owl Stone. A possible first mention as the aforementioned Huwensteine, in a court roll of the Ding- and Fronhof in Bollschweil, owned by St. Ulrich's Monastery, is dated to the year 1316. Finds from the building site indicate a period of use from the 13th to the early 16th century. In the late 1990s, parts of the masonry, such as an upper section of the front wall with a loophole-like opening, fell victim to vandalism.

During the Thirty Years' War, the building served as a hiding place for Dominican Father Michael of the Preacher's Monastery in Freiburg. From there, together with scattered Austrian soldiers and farmers, he waged a successful guerrilla war against the Swedes in nearby Kirchhofen. Later, the building served as a hideout for robber gangs.