Ruins of Alt-Haldenstein

What was it like to stand guard in a fortified tower that was equipped with neither a toilet nor a fireplace – perhaps even in winter? Today, we may no longer be able to answer this question, as access to toilets during working hours is now regulated by labour laws.

However, this was the case for the guards at Alt-Haldenstein Castle in the 12th century: the Bergfried (main defensive tower) was not equipped with such amenities. It is situated on a small rocky outcrop overlooking the village and was accessible only via an elevated entrance on the fourth floor, which led through the adjoining palas, the main building of the castle. In the second half of the 14th century, the castle ceases to function purely as a defensive structure, being converted and extended into a residential fortress with representative functions. The castle remains inhabited until as late as 1695, likely, however, equipped with built-in toilets. Later, sometime between 1769 and 1787, the southern parts of the castle are destroyed by rockfalls. By this time, the lavishly designed and equipped Haldenstein Castle, built further down in the village of Haldenstein between 1544 and 1548, had long since been completed.