Ehrenberg loop

A nature trail at the beginning of the loop deals with this unique animal and plant world and explains it at four information points along the path. On the Ehrenberg loop, you also reach the Klausenwald forest and the Schlosskopf fortress, which towers above the Ehrenberg castle ruins and forms the Ehrenberg castle ensemble together with Fort Claudia and the Ehrenberg Klause. Passing the Klause through meadows and forests, you finally reach the Lech River and follow it upstream back to the starting point at Riedener See, near the community of Rieden. The moderately difficult route takes about four hours and overcomes approximately 500 meters in elevation.

Places to eat: Gasthof Kreuz in Rieden, Landgasthof Klause; Gasthof Maximilian in Ehenbichl;

Fortress Schlosskopf

The Schlosskopf fortress is located at about 1,250 m altitude above Ehrenberg castle and the market town Reutte. The castle and fortress together with the associated Klause and Fort Claudia (Hochschanz) form one of the most important fortress ensembles in Central Europe.

The Schlossberg rises about 150 meters above the nearby Ehrenberg castle. The castle could be battered from the mountain plateau, which actually happened in 1703 when the Tyroleans recaptured the castle from the Bavarians by hauling heavy artillery from Weißenbach over kilometers up the ridge and attacking their own castle.

The fortress complex at Schlosskopf was more or less forgotten for over 200 years but has recently been awakened from its slumber.
Construction of the fortress following the then newest military engineering knowledge began in 1733 and was completed in 1741.

41 years after completion, the facility was abandoned without ever having been involved in a military action. Like all other parts of the Ehrenberg fortress ensemble, it was left to decay. Today the Schlosskopf is restored and accessible to the public at all times. The remains still hint at the original dimensions of the structure.

Ehrenberg Castle Ruins

The Ehrenberg castle ruins, built in 1296, offer everything you expect from a medieval castle: defensive walls, high towers, and a lot of history. The Gothic castle complex hosted emperors and kings, princes and tsars; history was truly made here. Sit between the walls and listen within, in the whisper of the mountain wind you can hear the voices of the past and dream of long-gone times. 
The history
Where history falls silent, legend begins. As long as the castle existed, construction continued, leaving building traces spanning around half a millennium. Ehrenberg could enjoy a peaceful existence for a long time. This changed with the outbreak of the religious wars. Ehrenberg was several times at the center of military struggles. In 1546, the Protestant Schmalkaldic League captured the fortress. In 1552 it was surprised by Elector Moritz of Saxony. In 1632 the Swedes halted before its walls. In 1703 it fell into Bavarian hands during the War of the Spanish Succession. From 1716 to 1717 Ehrenberg served as residence for the Russian tsarevich Alexei, who had fled from his father Tsar Peter the Great. Even in the Napoleonic wars it played a role. From 1971, Fridolin Schennach from Reutte took charge of the decaying ruins and started a rescue campaign with many idealists.

Museum

Have you ever laughed out loud in a museum? No? Then visit the museum at Ehrenberg. The historic walls of the Ehrenberg Klause let you experience the Middle Ages up close. Here you experience history with all the senses; probably the most unique museum in Europe—touch, feel, smell, dive into past times. Nowhere else will you see children learning so much and having fun during a museum visit.

In 14 rooms, 14 different themes of the knight and castle era are addressed. The terrible Crusades are explained, castles brought to life, alchemists show experiments with explosive effects, and in the plague chamber the skeletons rattle their bones. With helmet and armor, visitors quickly become noble knights. Through film, sound, and light effects, the atmosphere of the Middle Ages is captured and transported into the 20th century.

Each exhibition room contains moments of suspense that astonish visitors, make them laugh, or provoke reflection. It is important to the operators that the conditions of the Middle Ages are presented realistically and authentically.

"The Ritter Rüdiger Puzzle Rally" - our children's level in the adventure museum! It is fun learning about castle construction, knighthood, trade, courtly love—and then you can be raised to nobility with a certificate, knighting, or appointment as a castle lady!

Ehenbichl

Ehenbichl is a municipality with 855 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2010) in the Reutte district, Tyrol. The town lies in the Reutte basin. Settlement extends over a terrain step shaped by the Lech River, forming a gentle valley shoulder. The Lech also forms the municipal boundary. The district of Rieden lies in the southwest, near Weißenbach am Lech. Ehenbichl was first mentioned in documents in 1404 as Ehenpühel.