Stettenfels Castle, Medieval castle in Untergruppenbach, Germany

Stettenfels is a castle on elevated ground above Untergruppenbach, displaying Renaissance architecture with thick defensive walls and a central courtyard. The structure combines fortified character with refined design elements from its transformation period and serves visitors with dining facilities in the courtyard.

The castle originated in the 11th century as a fortification and passed through several owners, including the Fugger family, who transformed it into a Renaissance residence around 1575. This transformation shaped its current appearance and marked the shift from military stronghold to refined dwelling.

Since 2005 the castle has held an annual medieval festival with jousting, jugglers, music and craftspeople; since 2007 it takes place on 1 May and the following weekend, with hundreds of participants and thousands of visitors. Concerts and theatre events commissioned by the municipality are staged in the grounds, and a permanent beer garden sits in the castle garden.

Access to the triangular inner courtyard is over a massive bridge through a gatehouse. The broad moat is walkable and holds a fixed stage for events; the terrain is uneven, so sturdy shoes help. A permanent beer garden sits in the castle garden, and historic farm buildings plus modern restaurant buildings lie just east beyond the moat.

Siegfried Levi, co-owner of the Salamander shoe company, bought the castle in 1924 and set up a stud farm there; the plateau is still used for one today. In 1937 he was forced to hand the castle to the city of Heilbronn under the Nazi "Aryanization"; he and his family escaped to South Africa, and in 1951 restitution returned the property to his widow.