Falkenstein Castle (Höllental)

Falkenstein Castle is a ruined hill castle near Freiburg im Breisgau on the territory of the present-day municipality Breitnau in the county of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The castle site lies in a triangle formed by the entrance of the Höllental valley – the Lower Höllental and the Engenbach valley, not far from the Buchenbach village of Falkensteig, on a rocky crag that is very difficult to get to today. Of the castle itself only a few wall remains are left. It is one of the less well preserved ruins in the Breisgau.HistoryThe castle may have been built around 1200 on a steep eminence at the lower entrance to the Höllental, also known as the Falkensteige, by a Zähringen ministerialis family. Its founders probably came from the Wittental valley from the lords of Weiler and Blankenberg and are first recorded from 1137 to 1148 as the lords of Falkenstein. In the ensuing period they rose to become one of the circle of important aristocratic families in the Breisgau. The valley was named Falkensteiner Tal after them and their castle, and only changed to Höllental later on. The castle was supposed to guard the important communication route through the valley which linked the Breisgau to the Baar region and Lake Constance. The lords of the castle soon reigned over an area that extended up the valley to Hinterzarten and Titisee. Other castles built by the Falkensteins were Falkenbühl Castle, Bickenreute near Kirchzarten and Bubenstein Castle, also called Neufalkenstein ("New Falkenstein").