Hohenstaufen, Mountain summit in the Swabian Jura, Germany

Hohenstaufen is a 684-metre cone-shaped mountain of the Swabian Jura near Göppingen, the westernmost of the Three Kaiser Mountains with Rechberg and Stuifen. Beech trees stand above the footpaths around the summit, where the ruins of Hohenstaufen Castle lie. The summit can only be reached on foot, most directly from the Göppingen district of Hohenstaufen.

The summit carries the ruin of Hohenstaufen Castle, the ancestral seat of the House of Hohenstaufen, whose most famous member, Frederick Barbarossa, was born here around 1122. The castle was destroyed in 1525 during the Peasants' War. A Stauferstele on the mountain has commemorated the dynasty since 1 June 2002.

The name comes from the mountain's shape, which resembles an inverted chalice, called 'Stauf' in German. You can see this distinctive outline from many places around the region.

The summit is reached only on foot; the shortest approach starts in Göppingen's Hohenstaufen district. Three entrances give access to the footpaths, which run through beech woods. A panel at the top explains the panorama. On the southwestern slope lies the Spielburg nature reserve, with its Weißer Jura rock formations.

A Stauferstele on the summit has commemorated the House of Hohenstaufen since 1 June 2002, and a panel there explains the panorama. The southwest slope holds the Spielburg nature reserve, protecting a formation of White Jurassic rock.