Hohenklingen Castle, Medieval castle in Stein am Rhein, Switzerland
Hohenklingen Castle is a spur castle on a narrow Nagelfluh ridge at 594 m above sea level, almost 200 m above Stein am Rhein in the canton of Schaffhausen. Its 20 m high keep has a square ground plan with about 10 m sides and a high entrance at 8.5 m; the ring wall and west palas date from around 1220, and the east palas was extended between 1250 and 1280.
Around 1200 Walter von Klingen, castellan of St. Georgen monastery, built a residential tower on the Nagelfluh ridge above Stein am Rhein, probably on the site of an earlier wooden tower of the Zähringen. In 1457 the Klingenberg family sold the castle to the citizens of Stein am Rhein for 24,500 guilders. The town appointed a bailiff; more than thirty held office until the 19th century, and in 1484 castle and town placed themselves under Zurich's protection.
The name Hohenklingen derives from the Old High German klingo, meaning mountain stream or gorge, referring to the ravines at the foot of the castle hill; it first appears in 1327 as "von der hohen Clingen ob Stain". Over thirty bailiffs resided here until the 19th century, and today the castle houses a restaurant serving refined cuisine.
The castle is reached by marked hiking trails starting from the center of Stein am Rhein, and the climb follows wooded paths that can be slippery after rain. Sturdy footwear is advisable, and the walk up takes around half an hour.
The castle is listed as a class A Swiss cultural property of national significance, yet it operates today as a restaurant, so visitors can eat inside the medieval walls. This combination of protected monument and working dining venue is rare for a site of this age.
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