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Ringgenburg (Schmalegg), Schmalegg

Ringgenburg (Schmalegg)

Schmalegg

Access

No visits on recordNo opening hours or ticketing found

Where
Schmalegg

To make a day of it

Open within 20 km

Sleep nearby

Ringgenburg (Schmalegg) stands in Schmalegg (Landkreis Ravensburg), in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. No visits are on record for this building.

The Ringgenburg, also known as Rinkenburg, is a prehistoric spur fortification overlooking the Schmalegger Tobel ravine near the hamlet of Schmalegg, now part of Ravensburg. It is not a castle in the usual sense but an earthwork enclosure, thought to date from the Hallstatt period, covering close to ten hectares. Three lines of ramparts and ditches that once blocked the narrow plateau can still be made out, with some earthworks still standing up to eight metres high. Locally the site is called Schwedenschanzen, a name recalling an episode of the Thirty Years' War rather than the actual builders.

What to know

  • The site lies in the forest of the Schmalegger Tobel and is explored on foot over uneven terrain.
  • No buildings remain, only earth ramparts and ditches spread across a stretch of roughly 1.5 kilometres.
  • There are no opening hours or admission fees, as this is a freely accessible open-air archaeological site.
  • The upper plateau is still farmed today, with the Schmucker farm located there, so visitors should be respectful of the working land.
  • The earthworks have never been scientifically excavated, so their exact age remains uncertain.

Where this château is

Schmalegg · Landkreis Ravensburg · Baden-Württemberg

Map of the area around Ringgenburg (Schmalegg)

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This châteauChâteaux within 40 km

Address

Schmucker 1, 88213 Ravensburg-Schmalegg

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

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4.6 / 5from 5 Google reviews

Heritage status
Protection status unknown

Base map © IGN, Géoplateforme

In pictures

Frequently asked

Is the Ringgenburg a castle with buildings to visit?
No, it is a set of prehistoric earth ramparts and ditches, with no standing structures.
Where is the Ringgenburg located?
It lies in Schmalegg, in the Landkreis Ravensburg, in Baden-Württemberg, within the Schmalegger Tobel forest.
Why is the site called Schwedenschanzen?
Because Swedish troops positioned themselves there in 1647, during the Thirty Years' War, to bombard the nearby Burg Schmalegg.
How old is the Ringgenburg?
It is generally attributed to the Hallstatt period, though no scientific excavation has confirmed this dating.
Is there an entrance fee for the Ringgenburg?
No, it is a freely accessible natural and archaeological site, with no tickets or set hours.

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Sources

Identity, location and official references from Wikidata and the Land's heritage lists.

Within an hour’s drive

The most visited in this department — Landkreis Ravensburg