Easy hikes and walks around Landkreis Sigmaringen

The Hohenzollern Castle Sigmaringen was first mentioned in documents in the year 1077 and originally originated as a medieval castle on a rock above the Danube. Over the centuries, the complex was expanded several times and developed into a representative residence of the Princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. After a devastating fire in 1893, large parts of the castle were rebuilt in the historicist style. The castle was the political and cultural center of the Principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen for many generations. Today, it houses significant art, furniture, and weapons collections and is one of the region's most famous attractions.

Note: The jetty is relatively narrow (stroller might be a tight fit) and (being made of wood) a bit slippery when wet.

Hornstein Castle is the ruin of a hilltop castle on a spur-like rocky ridge above the Lauchert river at around 630 m above sea level, near the Bingen district of Hornstein in the Sigmaringen district of Baden-Württemberg. It was first mentioned in 1244. The castle was the property of imperial knights, its first documentary mention dates back to 1244. Before that, the Lords of Hornstein, mentioned as early as the 11th century, probably resided in a castle in the Hornstein area. As the ancestral seat of the noble family of the same name, the von Hornstein family, the castle went through several phases of construction until it was converted into a stately Baroque palace around 1700. In 1787, the Hornsteins sold their property to the Princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. In 1818, the Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen decreed that a Hohenzollern "house of correction and reformatory" should be established in the castle. After the conversion was completed, the institution began operations on December 14, 1818. The institution's regulations also stipulated that the insane were to be admitted. In 1850, the Hohenzollern principalities were incorporated into Prussia. The Prussian state continued to operate the institution, and in 1859 it became a penal and correctional facility for men. The female inmates were transferred to Habsthal at the time. The institution was closed in 1869. In 1873, the complex was sold for demolition, the buildings were torn down, and the walls were left to decay. Only the castle chapel, a Baroque gem where the Christian liturgical year is celebrated, was preserved. From 1947 to 1962, the ruin was used as an open-air stage. Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruine_Hornstein_(Bingen)

Beautiful bridge over the Lauchert 🌊 - Near the Fäulesloch parking lot 603 m a.s.l. - Bingen-Hornstein - LKR. Sigmaringen

Burg Hornstein is the ruin of a hilltop castle on a spur-like rocky ridge above the Lauchert at around 630 m above sea level near the Bingen district of Hornstein in the Sigmaringen district of Baden-Württemberg. It was first mentioned in 1244. The castle was imperial immediate property, and its first documentary mention dates back to 1244. Before that, the Lords of Hornstein, mentioned as early as the 11th century, probably resided in a castle in the Hornstein area. As the ancestral seat of the noble family of Hornstein of the same name, the castle experienced several construction phases until it was converted into a stately Baroque palace around 1700. In 1787, the Hornsteins sold their property to the Princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. In 1818, the Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen decreed that a Hohenzollern "house of correction and reformatory" should be established in the castle. After the conversion, the institution began operation on December 14, 1818. The institution's regulations also stipulated that "lunatics" were to be admitted. In 1850, the Hohenzollern principalities were incorporated into Prussia. The Prussian state continued to run the institution, and in 1859 it became a penal and correctional institution for men. The female inmates were transferred to Habsthal at the time. In 1869, the institution was closed. In 1873, the complex was sold for demolition, the buildings were demolished, and the walls were left to decay. Only the castle chapel, a Baroque gem, was preserved, where the Christian annual cycle is celebrated. From 1947 to 1962, the ruin was used as an open-air stage. Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruine_Hornstein_(Bingen)

Beautiful wooden footbridge over the Lauchert 🌊

The Bittelschießer Täle is a canyon-like, densely wooded valley in the lower reaches of the Lauchert, west of Bingen in the Sigmaringen district of Baden-Württemberg. The canyon is only about 400 meters long, 20–60 m wide and up to 30 m high (another 24 m of river sediments down to the rock floor). It is a scenically attractive part of the Flächenalb and also a geologically particularly significant Quaternary geotop. From the Middle Ages until the 19th century, the canyon and the Lauchert were also economically and as manorial property significant. The narrow valley is just as popular with hikers and cyclists from near and far as it is for walks and recreation for the residents of the surrounding towns. Until the Mindel ice age (~1 Ma), the Lauchert used its current riverbed, but flowed into the then Upper Danube about five kilometers earlier at "Rückhau", between Hitzkofen and Heudorf, which at that time followed a more northerly route from Scheer towards Riedlingen. At the end of the Mindel ice age, about 900,000 years ago, an ancient Danube broke through the small pass near "Bahnhof Hanfertal" (today part of Sigmaringen-Nord). It shortened its route to Riedlingen by using the Lauchert bed, in order to then continue its then more northerly route to Riedlingen. In the middle Riß cold period, about 200,000 years ago, debris masses of the alpine Rhine glacier advanced northwards in the Sigmaringen area in two cold phases over the then Upper Danube. The glacial fan reached its maximum advance in its second cold phase ("Vilsingen-Stand II", location still south of the present-day Danube) near "Hertenstein, Lauchert", Billafingen, Langenenslingen and Riedlingen. The glacial sediments were so thick that the Upper Danube and the Lauchert were dammed up. The backwater of the Upper Danube extended at least to Tuttlingen, and that of the Lauchert probably to Hausen an der Lauchert. The Lauchert valley between "Hanfertal" station and Hitzkofen, which was used by the Upper Danube before the Riß cold period and further deepened by it, and then completely blocked by moraine debris by the glacial advances, allowed the Lauchert to free itself from the glacial debris again and use it – with one exception: a large mass limestone rock in the straight path from the lower bank limestone formation was not bypassed as before (as, incidentally, also previously by an ancient Danube), .... Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bittelschie%C3%9Fer_T%C3%A4le

Bittelschießer Chapel ⛪ In 1625, St. Ulrich's Chapel is relocated to the castle ruins on the road towards Sigmaringen and built on the foundations of a round tower. From 1696 to 1708 it is rebuilt and provided with a no longer existing brother house. In 1719, the chapel is consecrated to Our Lady and has been a place of pilgrimage ever since. Baroque altar of Mary and 5 saint figures.