What remains of Burg Plettenberg today?

Only two ditches and faint earthworks survive, no standing walls remain.

When was Burg Plettenberg built?

Its existence is documented from the second half of the 12th century, though the exact founding date is unknown.

Can Burg Plettenberg be visited freely?

The open-air site can be reached without fees or set hours, as there is no building or visitor facility on site.

Burg Plettenberg

Plettenberg Castle

Ratshausen

Access

No visits on recordNo opening hours or ticketing found

Where: Ratshausen

To make a day of it

Open within 20 km

Sleep nearby

Schloss WeitenburgAccommodation on site28 km

Burg Plettenberg stands in Ratshausen (Zollernalbkreis), in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. No visits are on record for this building.

Burg Plettenberg is a vanished medieval hilltop castle, of which only earthworks and ditch remains survive today, at the southern tip of the Plettenberg ridge west of Hausen am Tann, in the Zollernalbkreis. Likely founded in the second half of the 12th century, it served as the seat of the lords of Dotternhausen, ministerials of the counts of Urach and later of Hohenberg. It was probably destroyed in 1309 during a conflict between King Henry VII and Count Eberhard I of Württemberg, and may never have been rebuilt on the same spot. Visitors come less for standing walls than for a quiet site of buried history, marked by two ditches cutting across the rocky spur.

What to know

Only two ditches remain visible on the ground, no masonry has survived at Burg Plettenberg.
The site sits high on a spur of the Plettenberg ridge, so reaching it means walking through forest.
There are no opening hours, fees, or visitor facilities since this is an open-air archaeological site without any building.
The visit suits those interested in castle archaeology rather than a restored monument.
The location lies near Hausen am Tann, in the Zollernalbkreis, Baden-Württemberg.

Where this château is

Ratshausen · Zollernalbkreis · Baden-Württemberg

Loading the map…

This châteauChâteaux within 40 km

Address

Ratshausen, Zollernalbkreis

Directions open from wherever you are, by car or public transport.

Get directions View on a map

Heritage status: Protection status unknown

In pictures

Frequently asked

What remains of Burg Plettenberg today?: Only two ditches and faint earthworks survive, no standing walls remain.
When was Burg Plettenberg built?: Its existence is documented from the second half of the 12th century, though the exact founding date is unknown.
Why did Burg Plettenberg disappear?: It was likely destroyed in 1309 during a war between King Henry VII and Count Eberhard I of Württemberg, possibly even razed by its own lord to prevent a siege.
Where is Burg Plettenberg located?: On the southern spur of the Plettenberg ridge, west of Hausen am Tann, in the Zollernalbkreis, Baden-Württemberg.
Can Burg Plettenberg be visited freely?: The open-air site can be reached without fees or set hours, as there is no building or visitor facility on site.