page_title: Rötteln Castle
section_title: Giller and cistern
hierarchical_section_title: Rötteln Castle / Location / Giller and cistern
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Burgruine Rötteln, Lörrach English: Rötteln Castle Ruines, Lörrach
context_page_description: Rötteln Castle, located above the Lörrach suburb of Haagen, lies in the extreme southwest corner of the German state of Baden-Württemberg, just 10 kilometres north-east of the Swiss City of Basel. The fortification was one of the most powerful in the southwest, and today, it is the third largest castle ruin in Baden.
  The ruins of the castle are situated on a widely visible forested hill 422 metres above sea level. The keep lies on a spur projecting from the steep-sided east side of the lower Wiese valley.
context_section_description: The gate defense tower, Giller, secured the only entrance to the upper castle especially before the expansion of the outer ward (lower castle). At times, it also served as a prison tower; inside, parts of jougs (iron collar), footcuffs, handcuffs, and stone weights have been found.
  Originally, the Giller was shorter but during reconstruction work in 1926, a storey with battlements made of concrete was added.
  A deep castle well was mentioned in 1420 that refer to a cistern. Since the water table in the area is deep and difficult to get to, surface water was collected in the cistern. 
  Cisterns of this kind are rare in southern Germany. The 8-to-10-metre-deep (26 to 33 ft) shaft was surrounded by a sheath of gravel and sand and sealed with a clay layer to the outside. Incoming surface water seeped through the filter material into the interior of the shaft and into the cistern. The water in the cistern had an exceptionally good quality.
caption: The front of the palas, the mouth of the cistern, and the tower named Giller
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