Foto: Wolfgang Richter

Support group for the preservation and research of the Turmhoelzle ruins

The aim of the support group "Förderkreis Ruine Turmhölzle e.V." is to research and conserve the Turmhoelzle ruins near Schopfheim-Raitbach and other castle ruins in the upper Wiesental valley,

to document them,
to conserve existing wall remains,
to provide information for visitors and
organise lectures and excursions.

The association was founded on 16.06.2024. Through private initiative, we want to stop the decay of the Turmhölzle ruins. Preservation will not be easy, but there are successful examples in South Baden that give us courage (e.g. the Wieladingen ruins). We would also like to research the Turmhölzle ruins as a remarkable example of a ministerial castle and make it better known and more accessible to the public.

At a later date, we would also like to work on the other castles in the upper Wiesental, which are also described on this homepage.

We need more collaborators and supporters for our preservation and research. Every contribution, every support, every co-operation is welcome.

in header: Remains of the keep and walls of neighbouring buildings after removal of the vegetation.

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Friday, 8 May 2026, Visit to the State Archives in Rastatt

Geländeeinschnitt im Wald Surface find from the Turmhölzle ruins. Photo: Wolfgang Richter

In 1981, the eastern section of the castle, including the keep, was excavated by groups of students under the guidance of archaeologists, at the initiative of the town of Schopfheim.

The finds from this excavation are on display at the Zentrale Fundarchiv in Rastatt, which is part of the Baden-Württemberg State Museum of Archaeology.
On May 8, 2026, members of the board will examine the finds. We hope that these finds will provide us with further information about the Turmhölzle ruins.

The surface finds shown above are a wrought-iron horseshoe nail (length: 3.2 cm) and three shards of medieval pots. The two lower shards are from the same pot, but they do not fit together. The design of the horseshoe corresponds to a type of horseshoe that was common from around 1000 to 1250.

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Friday, 31 October 2025, 7 pm: ´The lords of Waldeck and their castles`

Geländeeinschnitt im Wald The moat of Neu-Waldeck Castle on a rocky spur above Tegernau in the small Wiesental valley. Photo: Wolfgang Richter

Lecture by Stephan Maurer

The noble family of Waldeck played an important role in the settlement history of the Middle, Small and Upper Wiesental. Despite this importance, however, little is known about its members. The lecture will attempt to give an overview of the family's genealogy, their possessions, their family relationships and their heirs and successors on the basis of historical sources. Particular attention will be paid to the castles that can possibly be attributed to the Lords of Waldeck, including the ruins of Turmhölzle near Raitbach.

This lecture is organised in cooperation with the Stadtmuseum Schopfheim.

Location: Stadtmuseum Schopfheim, Wallstraße 10, 79650 Schopfheim

Literature reference: Stephan E. Maurer: Die Herren von Waldeck. In: Das Markgräflerland, Band 2013, S. 121–138 Digitalisat der UB Freiburg

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February 2024, GPS measurement Turmhoelzle Ruins

3 animierte Grafiken zur Funktion von Lidar

Mike1024, LIDAR-scanned-SICK-LMS-animation, marked as public domain, details at Wikimedia Commons

Site plan created

The GPS survey of the castle ruins by the Schopfheim Town Museum was completed in February 2024. With this survey, a true-to-scale plan of the site is available for the first time.

This is the basis for further research into the ruins.

Lidar (abbreviation for light detection and ranging or light imaging, detection and ranging) is a method of optical distance measurement. It is a form of three-dimensional laser scanning.