The fifth out of upcoming six packages contains points of interest in the Southwestern region of Baden-Württemberg. The castles are located in the Southern area of the Swabian Jura ("Schwäbische Alb").

The models are released under contract with State Office for Monumental Preservation at Stuttgart Regional Council (www.denkmalpflege-bw.de). All models provided have been created by using photogrammetry which represent the geometry and textures in high level of detail.

For version 1.1.0, the following points of interests have been adapted for MSFS 2020 and integrated into the package.

Dietfurt Castle Ruins

• The Dietfurt ruins are the ruins of a hilltop castle in the hamlet of Dietfurt, which belongs to the municipality of Inzigkofen in the Sigmaringen district in Baden-Württemberg. The Dietfurt Castle Cave located under Dietfurt Castle is one of the most important sites in southern Germany from the Late Young Paleolithic and Mesolithic.

Falkenstein Castle Ruins

• The Falkenstein ruins are the ruins of a rock castle on the edge of the valley above the Danube at around 743 m above sea level. NN between the villages of Neidingen and Thiergarten about 150 meters above the Neumühle. The ruin is privately owned by the Fürstenberg aristocratic family. It is probably the best-preserved and largest medieval fortification in the Upper Danube Nature Park between Tuttlingen and Sigmaringen. A distinction is made between the Ober- and Unterfalkenstein castles.

Honberg Castle Ruins

• Honberg Castle was built in 1460 by Eberhard I, Duke of Württemberg. It was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War in 1645. After the great fire of 1803 stones were used as building material for the reconstruction of the city. In the 19th century two towers of the castle were rebuilt.

Beuron Monastery

• Already in 777, a monastery stood in the area of the soldier cemetery and was later destroyed by the Hungarians. The monastery, erected in the current day location starting in 1077 until its dissolution, is one of the oldest Augustinian choir houses in Germany. Secularized in 1802, Beuron became the property of the Fürstenhaus Hohenzollern - Sigmaringen. 1863 marked a new beginning of monastic life in Beuron by the Benedictine monks Maurus and Placidus Wolter, thanks to a foundation of the Princess Catherine von Hohenzollern.

Lorch Monastery

• Visible from afar, Lorch Monastery stands on a hill overlooking the Rems Valley. It was founded in the year 1102 by the Staufen dynasty as a burial site. The attractive complex, with its church, cloister, outbuildings and monastery garden enclosed by a still intact curtain wall, is open to the public. In the 19th century Lorch was rediscovered as a medieval monument: for many writers and artists, travellers and health tourists, the monastery became a memorial to the Staufen dynasty which still today has lost none of its fascination.

Zwiefalten Abbey

• The monastery was founded in 1089 at the time of the Investiture Controversy by Counts Gero and Kuno of Achalm, advised by Bishop Adalbero of Würzburg and Abbot William of Hirsau. The first monks were also from Hirsau Abbey, home of the Hirsau Reforms (under the influence of the Cluniac reforms), which strongly influenced the new foundation. Noker von Zwiefalten was the first abbot and led from 1065–90. The monk Ortlieb wrote a history of the monastery in the early 12th century. Berthold continued it to 1137–38. He served as abbot in 1139–1141, 1146/7–1152/6 and 1158–1169. During the 12th century Saint Ernest (died 1148)[1] was abbot. Between 1145 and 1149 he participated in the Second Crusade to regain the Holy Lands including Jerusalem. Although Pope Urban VI granted special privileges to it, Zwiefalten Abbey was nevertheless the private monastery of the Counts of Achalm, later succeeded by the Counts of Württemberg. The abbey was plundered in 1525 during the German Peasants' War. Christoph Rassler was abbot from 1658–75 and Augustin Stegmüller was abbot in the 18th century. In 1750 the abbey was granted the status of Reichsabtei, which meant that it had the status of an independent power subject only to the Imperial Crown and was free of the rule of Württemberg. On 25 November 1802, however, it was secularised and dissolved and became a lunatic asylum and later psychiatric hospital, which it is today, as well as the site of the Württemberg Psychiatry Museum.

Sigmaringen Castle

• Sigmaringen Castle (German: Schloss Sigmaringen) was the princely castle and seat of government for the Princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. Situated in the Swabian Alb region of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, this castle dominates the skyline of the town of Sigmaringen. The castle was rebuilt following a fire in 1893, and only the towers of the earlier medieval fortress remain. Schloss Sigmaringen was a family estate of the Swabian Hohenzollern family, a cadet branch of the Hohenzollern family, from which the German Emperors and kings of Prussia came. During the closing months of World War II, Schloss Sigmaringen was briefly the seat of the Vichy French Government after France was liberated by the Allies. The castle and museums may be visited throughout the year, but only on guided tours. It is still owned by the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen family, although they no longer reside there.

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GER - BW #5 - Swabian Jura South (Donau Valley)

Explore the historic landmarks and medieval ruins in the Southwestern region of Baden-Württemberg with GER - BW #5 - Swabian Jura South (Donau Valley) for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This package showcases iconic sites such as Falkenstein and Honberg Castle Ruins, Beuron Monastery, Lorch Monastery, Zwiefalten Abbey, and Sigmaringen Castle in high detail using photogrammetry technology. Immerse yourself in the rich history and architecture of this picturesque area.

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