Wildenstein - Hahnenkamm, German fortified castle

Wildenstein - Hahnenkamm is a castle ruin from the high Middle Ages located on a steep rocky outcrop about 730 meters above sea level north of Leibertingen. The site sits above a bend in the Danube and contains remains of defensive walls, a staircase to the upper platform, and internal spaces including a tunnel carved into the rock to provide protected movement through the site.

The castle was built between 1100 and 1150, as ceramic finds show, and formed part of the chain of castles created by the Lords of Wildenstein, first named in documents of Salem Abbey between 1168 and 1174. Hahnenkamm was abandoned as a residence already in the 13th century, when the castle complex was built.

The castle takes its name from the Hahnenkamm, the rocky peak shaped like a rooster's comb that makes it recognizable from far away. This distinctive name has become part of the local identity and helps mark this place as a regional landmark.

The site is accessible by walking paths from nearby villages and parks, with informational signs explaining the history and layout of the ruins. The walk is gentle and passes through forests and open fields, offering views of the Danube and surrounding countryside along the way.

On the middle level, a man-high passage about three metres deep runs through the rock. It linked the gate and the roughly ten-by-five-metre settlement terrace, where a service building may have stood. The upper summit measures only about ten by two metres.