The fortress that survived five sieges

A dead volcano rises 260 meters above the city of Singen, its peak crowned by a sprawling ruin. This is the mountain of Hohentwiel. Spread across nine hectares, it remains the largest castle ruin in Germany open to the public.

Evidence of this place dates back to 915. For centuries, it shifted hands between noble families like the House of Zähringen, eventually falling under the influence of the House of Württemberg in the early 16th century. It functioned as a ducal seat during the Early and High Middle Ages, a seat of power for local rulers. As the centuries turned, the architecture shifted from a residence to a fortress, a strategic stronghold for the state of Württemberg. It became a place of endurance, surviving five unsuccessful sieges during the Thirty-Years' War.

The fortress transitioned from a seat of power to a place of confinement, serving as a state penitentiary. This period of isolation ended in 1801 during the War of the Second Coalition, when the structure was slighted - rendered unusable by military design. After its destruction, the ruin soon became of interest to tourism.

By 1900, the local government envisioned the mountain as a stage. They built a festival hall in 1906, though it was demolished in 1918. The idea of having festivals was revived and came to life in August 1921. In 1922, the site hosted the Volksfestspiele, a festival of the people that lasted six weeks. Later, between 1935 and 1939, the German Festivals took place under the rule of the Nazis and with the support of Joseph Goebbels.

Since 1969, when the site became part of the city of Singen, a special festival week took place in the summer. A Jazz Festival launched in 1975 and has been repeated annually since. By 1980, the scale had grown so large that the castle required 13 stages to accommodate more than 20,000 visitors for a Kultursonntag. In 1990, the world took notice when Miles Davis performed at the festival, bringing international attention to the site.

Today, the festival occupies one week in July. Visitors walk through the same gates that once held prisoners and soldiers, now as a venue for modern crowds on the remains of a volcanic peak.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons