High on a gneiss ridge overlooking Freiburg, the Kyburg whispers tales of a forgotten era. The Kyburg isn’t what you’d picture when you imagine a grand castle. Only fragmented remnants and the ghost of a moat remain. These stones, perched 820 meters above sea level, offer a breathtaking panorama. You can see Feldberg, Schönberg, Schauinsland, and the Kappler Valley stretching out before you.
The Kyburg, first mentioned by name in 1484, had a much earlier beginning. Chronicler Matthias von Neuenburg noted its presence in the 14th century. Excavations in the 1920s, led by Otto Kantorowicz, unearthed pottery shards. These artifacts date the Kyburg back to the late 11th or early 12th century, a period of Zähringer rule in the Breisgau region. More recent surface finds hint at an even earlier, possibly Bronze Age, presence on this strategic perch. The Kyburg’s story seems to end in the first half of the 13th century. The reason for its abandonment remains a mystery.
Originally, the Kyburg consisted of two rocky peaks linked by a narrow ridge. The entire complex spanned roughly 70 meters, reaching its widest point at the southern, accessible end. A broad wall, now barely traceable beneath the earth, once guarded this approach. On the eastern side, the natural cliff face provided a formidable defense. At the southwestern edge, the rock rises to a flattened area, perhaps once the site of a tower. Kantorowicz’s 1929 sketch identifies this as the “South Tower”. A long wall section, clearly visible in the 1920s but now crumbled, ran along the western side of the connecting ridge. The most substantial remains are on the northern peak. Here, you can still see traces of an 8-meter wide tower base. Its walls are an impressive 2 meters thick. A 12-meter deep, 3.5-meter wide natural crevice lies before it. Its artificially leveled floor served as a protective moat. While the counts of Kyburg, whose power base lay in Switzerland, share the name, a connection to this Freiburg ruin seems unlikely. The Kyburg stands as a silent testament to a vanished world. It offers stunning views and a glimpse into Freiburg’s rich and layered past.