Schwedenschanze (Zuflucht)

The Schwedenschanze (Zuflucht) is a former schanze in Bad Peterstal-Griesbach in the Black Forest in Southern Germany.

It is located on the L 402, the "Oppenauer Steige", which branches off from the B 500 (Black Forest High Road). Another redoubt which is geographically close to the Schwedenschanze is the Röschenschanze.

Etymology
The name Schwedenschanze (literally 'Swedish redoubt') dates back to Swedish troops as erectors. Many redoubts from this time carry this name. Zuflucht is a village which belongs to the municipality Bad Peterstal-Griesbach.

History
The Schwedenschanze was built during the Thirty Years' War in 1632/1633 and is the oldest schanze on the top of the pass at the Zuflucht. It consisted of a square with bulwarks at the corners and was designed for a crew of 400 to 500 men. It was supposed to secure the Oppenauer Steige from above, but it was unfavorably laid out because the opponent could approach the hill unseen due to the surrounding forests and hilly terrain.

The Württemberg field camp in front of the Refuge Hotel, which would later be known as the Schwedenschanze, has its origins in 1593 at the time of the Strasbourg Bishops' War. The Duke of Württemberg had the western border of his country guarded by a permanent garrison stationed in the field camp. Many references in old maps and sources suggest that this encampment was in the same place as the Schwedenschanze.