Eselsburg Castle

Eselsburg Castle is a levelled castle located above the town of Herbrechtingen in the Heidenheim district of Baden-Württemberg in Germany.LocationThe castle is located about 50 m above the valley floor, above the Eselsburg section of Herbrechtingen. The central keep is located on the edge of a steep rock cliff (521 m above sea level) that projects up from the valley floor. A semi-circular trench protects the castle on the other side.HistoryThe Eselsburg was built around 1200 as the home of the ministeriales or unfree knights of the Graf or Baron von Dillingen. It is likely that an earlier castle foundation was reused to build the castle. In 1244 a knight named Gerwig (Gerwicus) von Eselsburg is mentioned in a document. In 1270, Rudolf von Eselsburg served the Graf Ulrich II. von Helfenstein. In 1284 another Gerwig von Eselsburg entered the service of the Bishop of Augsburg. Then, in 1343 the Eselsburger sold their castle and property in Herbrechtingen.The castle then passed through several owners in the next century. In 1385 Wilhelm von Riedheim acquired the land. In 1414 Heinrich von Bopfingen acquired the property, which became an Imperial fief in 1441. Then, in 1444 Rudolf von Bopfingen sold his half of the rights to the castle to Heinrich Krafft from Ulm. Heinrich then acquired the other half of the rights one year later from Sigmund von Eselsburg. In 1453 the Emperor released the castle from his ownership, and it ceased to be an imperial fief.