Rötteln Castle

Rötteln Castle (Burg Rötteln)
Lörrach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Aerial view at Rötteln Castle
Type	Castle
Site information
Owner	Government of Baden-Württemberg
Open to the public	yes (March–October)
Condition	Ruins survive
Site history
Built	c. 11th Century
Built by	Lords of Rötteln
In use	1000's–1678
Materials	Stone (11th century architecture)
Demolished	29 June 1678
Battles/wars	Thirty Years War Franco-Dutch War
Events	1356 Basel earthquake

Rötteln Castle (German: Burg Rötteln), located above the Lörrach suburb of Haagen, lies in the extreme southwest corner of the German state of Baden-Württemberg just 10 kilometres (6 miles) North-East of the Swiss City of Basel. The fortification was one of the most powerful in the southwest, and today is the third largest castle ruin in Baden.

The ruins of the castle are situated on a widely visible forested hill 422 metres (1,385 ft) above sea level. The keep lies on a spur projecting from the steep sided east side of the lower Wiese valley.

The castle has probably existed since the beginning of the 11th century. In the year 1102 is the first documented mention of a lord of Rötteln, one Dietrich von Rötteln, the bailiff of St. Albans near Basel. This year is also considered the date of the founding of the city of Lörrach. In 1204 Dietrich III of Rötteln died, having amassed a large holding in the Wiese valley. His sons held high offices; Walter I was the Kapitular (a priest who is authorized to say the mass in a cathedral and perform other duties of a bishop) of Konstanz and Basel, Luithold I was the bishop of Basel, Konrad I was the founder of the city of Schopfheim, which was important to the later formation of the Markgräflerland. The first documented mention of the castle itself is from the year 1259.