Zieglhar, Ruine Henschenberg 1, CC BY-SA 4.0
The castle ruins
The Henschenberg ruins are located on a mountain spur to the west of the town of Zell im Wiesental between Henschenbach and Fischbach. A striking neck ditch separates the castle area on the mountain side (ground plan in Müller 1973). Only small remains of walls can be found on the castle grounds. On the north side, adjacent to the moat, there are remains of a "larger, fortified building, probably a residential tower" (Meyer 1981). There are also remains of walls of other, unidentified buildings on the castle grounds. Werner Meyer reports late medieval beavertail tiles and pottery shards from the 14th and 15th centuries in the surface rubble on the entire castle site (Meyer 1981). A tunnel driven into the rock on the eastern side of the mountain spur is probably not connected with the castle.
History of the castle
There is no documentary evidence of Henschenberg Castle. However, some authors assume that it is the documented Altenstein Castle of the Lords of Stein (Meyer 1981, Bigott 2009), whereas other authors identify the Altenstein ruins near Häg-Ehrsberg as the documented Altenstein Castle (Schubring 2012) (see also under Altenstein ruins).
How to get there by 🚗 and by 🥾
From 79669 Zell im Wiesental via Gresgener Weg (parking available in Scheffelstraße, for example). Take a short forest path along the Henschenbach stream to the ruins, which are located about 130 metres north of the confluence of the Fischbach and Henschenbach streams. The steep castle hill is difficult to access and there are no paths up to the castle hill.
Getting there by 🚊 and by 🥾
79669 Zell (Wiesental) is the terminus of the Wiesental railway.
Literature
Boris Bigott: Häg (Häg-Ehrsberg. LÖ). In: Alfons Zettler, Thomas Zotz: Die Burgen im mittelalterlichen Breisgau, II. Südlicher Teil: Halbband A-K. Jan Thorbecke Verlag, Ostfildern 2009, ISBN 978-3-7995-7366-5, S. 244–247.
Werner Meyer, Burgen von A bis Z – Burgenlexikon der Regio, Basel 1981. S. 16
C.A. Müller, Burgen und Schlösser, in: Das Markgräflerland, Jahrgang 4/35, Sonderheft 1973. S. 61 Digitalisat der UB Freiburg
Klaus Schubring: Wo lag die Burg Altenstein? In: Das Markgräflerland, Band 1/2012, S. 106–117. Digitalisat der UB Freiburg