The ruins of the Zähringer castle are what remains of the ancestral seat of the noble Zähringer family, located near the city of Freiburg im Breigsau. This family was a powerful ducal dynasty in what is now southern Germany and Switzerland in the High Middle Ages and the founder of many cities, including Freiburg im Braigsau, Willingen, Neuchâtel, and many others. Zahringer's name first appears in records dating back to the early eleventh century, however it is not clear whether they were actually referring to the hilltop fort or to the village.