Castle Hofen, Medieval castle ruins in Stuttgart, Germany

Castle Hofen is a castle ruin in Stuttgart with stone walls still visible that tell of medieval construction methods. The remaining structures show how a fortified building was arranged and what spaces it contained.

The castle was built in medieval times and was once part of the defensive system protecting the Stuttgart region. Over the centuries it lost its purpose and gradually fell into the state of ruins we see today.

The castle gave its name to the village of Hofen, first mentioned in 1120, and the ruins stand above the Neckar next to St. Barbara's Church. The site is a designated cultural heritage monument, and since 2000 visitors have been free to walk up to the eight-metre shield wall and the 13-metre tower stump.

Access is on foot via Wolfgangstraße, behind St. Barbara's Church in the Hofen district of Stuttgart's Mühlhausen borough. The ruin has been freely accessible since 2000. The ground is uneven, so sturdy shoes help.

The castle stands on a hill above the Neckar, not in the valley, and is the only castle ruin in Stuttgart with walls still rising. Its shield wall is 8 metres high and 2.5 metres thick, and the bergfried stump still reaches 13 metres.