Fürstenberg

Fürstenberg stands on a height overlooking the Baar, between the Black Forest and the Swabian Jura. A castle and fortified town grew here in the thirteenth century, giving their name to the counts of Fürstenberg. The family descended from the counts of Urach and held lands on the Baar and in the Kinzig valley. In 1283 King Rudolf of Habsburg appointed Henry of Fürstenberg landgrave of the Baar.

The counts' possessions were divided among branches of the family, while pressure from the Habsburgs altered the balance of power in the region. The town and castle endured for centuries, but the Thirty Years' War brought disaster: both were largely destroyed in 1632. The family's name and authority survived at other residences, including Donaueschingen, as the old hilltop seat declined.