The Hohenzollern fortress was one of the very few medieval fortresses in Germany that maintained its strategic importance beyond the Middle Ages. It was impossible to attack the fortress from any nearby strategic point as the firing distance was too great. It was not until the 19th century that the Zeller Horn, a hill to the immediate south, posed a threat to the defence of the Hohenzoller castle.

As early as in 1454, fire-arms were used to defend the second castle. Casemates, or bombproof, vaulted strongholds, were incorporated into the fortress walls. Massive round towers at each corner provided strong protection against attack and at the same time served as symbols of strength and power.

The Castle during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648)

Fearful of the Thirty Years War raging in many areas of the German Reich, Count Johann Georg von Hohenzollern-Hechingen began fortifying his castle. From 1618 through 1623, the castle was thoroughly renovated and expanded. The early medieval gun turrets, crumbling and outdated, were replaced by mighty earth walls strengthened by stonework. In addition, bastions were positioned at the castle corners. These bastions not only offered ample space in which to postion cannons but also sufficient protection to the connecting wall “curtains” in between. Thanks to the strategic positioning of these bastions, the dreaded dead angle, a common problem in defence tactics, was eliminated. In short, within a mere five years, Count Johann Georg created one of the most up-to-date Renaissance strongholds of the time.

In 1633/34, shortly after the Thirty Years War, the newly renovated castle was put to its first test. The Swabian catholic branch of the Hohenzollern family, having recently been raised to the rank of Princes, fought against Württemberg and Sweden alongside the German Kaiser. Württemberg and Swedish troops laid siege to the castle for months, literally starving out the castle defenders holed up inside. After nine long months, surviving Hohenzollern troops were allowed to leave the castle unharmed after which the castle was savagely pillaged and looted. The castle was repeatedly occupied by various enemy troops during the following decades.

The Castle as an Austrian Garrison

In 1667, the Hohenzollern signed a treaty with Austria granting Austrian troops the rights to use the castle in exchange for a fee and regular supplies of Tirolean wine. With a short interruption in 1771, the troops remained garrisoned in the castle until 1798. During a visit to the castle in 1784, K.F. Reinhardts described the condition of the castle “defenders”: “We came across a herd of goats at the second gate. Aside from these, the garrison was made up of three invalids. You could tell they were former soldiers by their soiled and torn yellow vests and by their scrawny pigtails plaited from the relics of thin gray hair.” Thereafter, Württemberg troops threatened once again to overtake Hohenzollern territory but were successfully thwarted by French troops in 1806. By this time, however, the castle was fast deteriorating due to lack of maintenance so that by the turn of the 19th century, it had been reduced to a ruin.

The Castle as a Prussian Fortification

In 1819, Prussian Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm visited his ancestral home in Hechingen, making grand plans for its reconstruction. Several years were to pass, however, until his plans could be executed. In the wake of the 1848 revolution, Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen relinquished their sovereignty to the Prussian king, becoming Prussian almost overnight. The castle, it was decided, must be refortified in order to protect the surrounding newly acquired territories and also to serve as a sanctuary in case of military conflict.

Today’s fortification was planned in the mid 19th century by Heinrich von Blankenburg together with Moritz von Prittwitz und Gaffron, Prussian officer and engineer. Particularly the eliptic loops of the entrance drive were considered architectural masterpieces. The military living quarters (“Wehrbau”) were erected for ca. 150 militiamen in times of war. These quarters house today’s restaurant, offices and various private apartments.