Amid rows of vines above the city these fortifications were never a castle in the sense of being the residence for noble families.Instead they had a purely defensive job and were called into action time and again to keep armies and raiders out.Entering the castle from Burgplatz to the north you can get a clear view of the whole site from a canon emplacement.Close by is the squat, circular Powder Tower (Pulverturm) from the 16th century and an exquisite apothecary garden.Maybe the most memorable section is the covered wall linking the Powder Tower with the Fat Tower (Dicke Turm), which is Esslingen’s symbol.This walkway grants a panorama of Esslingen that you won’t soon forget.