Alttrauchburg
| Alt-Trauchburg | |
|---|---|
| Alttrauchburg, Trauchburg | |
| Weitnau-Alttrauchburg | |
The southwest side of the inner bailey
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 Alt-Trauchburg
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| Coordinates | 47°39′18″N 10°06′33″E / 47.6551°N 10.1092°ECoordinates: 47°39′18″N 10°06′33″E / 47.6551°N 10.1092°E |
| Type | hill castle, spur castle |
| Code | DE-BY |
| Height | 903 m above sea level (NN) |
| Site information | |
| Condition | considerable wall remains |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1100 bis 1200 |
| Materials | conglomerate ashlar |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | nobility |
The ruins of Alt-Trauchburg Castle (German: Burg Alt-Trauchburg), also called the Alttrauchburg or Trauchburg, lie above the Weitnau hamlet of Kleinweiler in the county of Oberallgäu in Swabia. Large parts of the original stone walls of the high- to post-medieval castle remain. The ruins are some of the best preserved in the Allgäu region of Germany.
The hilltop castle probably goes back to the time of an earlier fortification of counts of Veringen and Nellenburg. This fortress first appears in written sources in 1041. It was probably located elsewhere nearby; the later castle only appears to have been occupied in the 13th century.
Around 1150 a branch of the lords of Rettenberg was enfeoffed with the lordship and they called themselves thereafter the "von Trauchburgs". In the early 13th century Berthold of Trauchburg moved the castle to its present location and built a fortified house or tower house here. In 1224, Berthold was the Procurator of Swabia under Emperor Frederick II.
By 1258 the fief had been given to the stewards of Waldburg, who were able to purchase it in 1306 from the count, who had run into debt. The tower-like core structure was now extended and built on. To the south, the large outer bailey was laid out together with its strong, rectangular, advanced tower.
As a result, the Waldburgs mostly lived in the castle by themselves or let had it managed by vogts (1418 Hans von Mühlegg). In 1429, the Trauchburg went to the Jacobian line of the House of Waldburg. Some lords are referred to in the sources as "bad stewards", i.e. were in constant financial difficulties.
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