THE HOHENASPERG - A German Prison

Above the town of Asperg near Ludwigsburg rises the Hohenasperg, a mountain whose silhouette conceals a complex and dark history. Its past dates back to prehistoric times, and around 500 BC, a Celtic princely seat stood here, surrounded by a refuge castle. Even today, magnificent burial mounds in the vicinity, like the one near Hochdorf or at the Katharinenlinde, testify to this epoch; they are all oriented in such a way that they offer an unobstructed view of this prominent mountain, as does the Kleinaspergle, another Celtic grave explored since 1879. From 1535, it was expanded into the Württemberg state fortress, and the site began its actual, enduring purpose at the start of the 18th century: that of a prison. Until 1945, numerous prominent political prisoners were incarcerated here, earning it various colloquial names. It was referred to as