Remains of the wall at the south-west corner of the core castle, photo: Wolfgang Richter
The castle ruins
The ruins of Burgholz are located near the village of Raitbach, a district of the town of Schopfheim.
Close to the Raitbach - Schweigmatt road lie the "sparse remains of an extensive castle complex on a steep, rocky hilltop" (Meyer 1981). On the northern side there is a two-part outwork (see ground plan). A deep neck ditch, partly cut into the rock, separates the outer bailey from the core castle. Only small remains of the walls of the core castle have survived. Possibly the remains of a round tower at the north-east corner. To the south of the core castle is an outer bailey with the old entrance to the castle. The core castle and southern outer bailey are surrounded by a moat with a rampart in front of it.
Ground plan of the ruins of Burgholz (from Schubring 1994, p. 55)
History of the castle
First mentioned in 1283: The Burgholz ruins are probably the ruins of Neuenstein Castle (Schubring 1994). This was built by the Lords of Stein and first mentioned in 1283. The brothers Rudolf and Heinrich von dem Steine made an endowment for their salvation at their castle "zu dem Nuwenstaine" in 1283. In the middle of the 14th century, the male line of the Lords of Stein died out and the Lords of Schönau inherited their property (Schubring 2001).
In 1400, Anna von Klingenberg, the widow of the knight Rudolf Hürus d.A. von Schönau, and her son Albrecht von Schönau sell the fortress "Nuw Stein" with the surrounding villages of Gersbach, Schlechtbach, Schweigmatt, Kürnberg and Raitbach as well as several farms to Margrave Rudolf III von Hachberg-Sausenberg. In 1401, St. Blasien renounces its fiefdom rights to the castle.
In 1509, the castle is in ruins. In this year, Margrave Christoph von Baden enfeoffs Appolinaris Höcklin von Schopfheim with the Burgstadel, i.e. the castle was already in ruins at this time. At this time, the castle barn is called Steineck. It was not until the 17th century that the name Burgholz became established (Schubring 1994).
How to get there by 🚗
Coming from 79650 Schopfheim-Raitbach, the castle ruins are located close to the K 6339 in a sharp left-hand bend, about halfway between the Raitbach districts of Scheuermatt and Steinighof. You can park directly at the edge of the forest below the castle hill. The castle ruins are difficult to access as there are no paths or trails leading up to the steep castle hill.
Getting there by 🚊 and by 🥾
From Hausen-Raitbach railway station, take the hiking trail in the direction of Raitbach/Schweigmatt. Continue past the Turmhölzle ruins in the direction of Schweigmatt. In the hamlet of Blumberg, turn right onto the downhill track to the Raitbach-Schweigmatt road (K6339). The castle hill is on the opposite side of the road.
Literature
Werner Meyer, Burgen von A bis Z – Burgenlexikon der Regio, Basel 1981. S. 13
Klaus Schubring: Die Herrschaft Neuenstein und Hausen im Wiesental. In: Das Markgräflerland, Heft 1, 1994, S. 43-62. Digitalisat der UB Freiburg
Klaus Schubring: Die genealogische Entwicklung der Familie. In: Wernher von Schönau und Katharina Frings (Hrsg.): Adel an Ober- und Hochrhein – Beiträge zur Geschichte der Freiherren von Schönau. Freiburg im Breisgau 2001, ISBN 3-7930-9282-8, S. 75–98.