Moat, Shield Wall, Bridge

Overview

The moat and the shield wall protect the northern side of the castle, which could easily be reached from the mountain ridge. This side was the one most endangered. The moat with its steep sides separates the outer bailey from the main castle. The 18 meters deep trench was hewn out of the cliff. The moat and the steep cliffs of the mountain ridge protected the castle equally well.
Now an earth embankment crosses the moat and leads to the main gate of the castle. According to the description of 1644 there was a wooden bridge in its place, which was 58 Schuh (shoes) long and ended with a drawbridge at the main gate.
There are several stone balls next to the earth embankment in the tournament garden. These stones were probably catapulted against the shield wall in order to break it down.
The shield wall was originally 13,5 meters high and 2,25 meters thick. It was built around 1160, the time the Staufer Dynasty ruled. Hump blocks were used at this time and can still be seen in the western part of the wall. Originally, the shield wall had a roof as seen on Merian’s engraving from 1643.

The Fortified Celtic Settlement, Home of the Celtic Prince 

The northern side of the Castle Mountain was always endangered. In order to protect their settlement, the Celts built a system of walls and trenches. Part of it can still be seen on the mountain ridge. Whoever goes up the mountain from Kleb Park walks through a trench. It was upgraded during the 16th Century.
The fortified settlement was at its peak about 500 B.C. Archaeologists have found a variety of artefacts and other traces of the settlement. The Celts adapted their way of building to the mediterranean way of building, which they learned from trading with the Greeks and the Etruscans. There are no remains of these dwellings, which were built for a mediterranean climate but didn’t survive the hard northern winters.