Burg Hirschberg, Medieval castle ruins in Heselwangen, Germany.

Burg Hirschberg is a vanished high-medieval spur castle, probably held by Zollern-Schalksburg ministerials, on a 722-meter spur 3,100 meters east of Balingen's town church and 1,350 meters south of Heselwangen's church. The 140-meter-long, 12-meter-wide site is marked by ramparts and ditches, with a dividing wall and a terraced slope that may have served as a zwinger.

Burg Hirschberg was mentioned in a document in 1378, and its existence had long been doubted. Fragments of pottery and stove-tile rims from the 12th and 13th centuries, found within the rampart and ditch lines still traceable in the terrain, proved the site had been occupied. Archaeological excavations took place between 1952 and 1955.

The site appears in historical accounts from the 17th century, connecting it to stories about Balingen's founding and local identity. This link shows how the ruins became woven into the region's collective memory and folklore.

The site is freely accessible year-round and stands about three kilometers east of Balingen, reachable by foot from the town or nearby villages. Visitors should prepare for uneven ground and the conditions typical of archaeological ruins.

Pottery and tile fragments from the 12th and 13th centuries found during excavations proved the castle actually existed, despite being considered merely legendary before. These discoveries in the 1950s transformed local folklore into documented history.