The  noble family Zorn of Bulach held estates in the valley as early as 1361. The Zorn family is an old noble house that provided several governors of Strasbourg, but also the land Vogt, a so-called overlord, of Ortenau.

The picture on the right shows the Grol-Schlössle as it existed until 1874. Before that time,  Schloss Grol  was a moated castle, which was surrounded by the Hespengrundbächle on one side and the Durbach on the other.  Schloss Grol was rebuilt in 1875  (picture on the left). Unfortunately, large parts of this beautiful building were demolished in  1937 because of structural damage. Only a beautiful vaulted cellar was preserved.   The  map  clearly illustrates the state of Schloss Grol in  1811. The beautifully decorated bell with the year 1674 (cast in Offenburg) along with the smaller bell in the next room both come from this former Schloss Grol.

The von Rathsamhausen was another great noble estate, from which there remains a large, beautiful building in Strasbourg. The successors of this family were the  Barons of Riedt  (Rüdt),  who laid these beautiful  landmarks  with a male jumping dog around the estate in the Hespengrund in  1786 . The Baron of Riedt was known for his exemplary and progressive planting of pasture grasses, which also led to the slow demise of the old tradition of using forests as pasture land. A member of this family also became known as a great general under the Türkenlouis – the name Turkish Louis was bestowed upon Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden for his many defeats of the Turkish armies. Various buildings in Offenburg, such as the Vincentiushaus, also bring back memories of this house. The map of the former manor in Hespengrund dates back to the year 1780. Upon closer inspection, it shows not only the extent of the buildings but also the sizeable cultivation of vines, fruit and forest.   The family of the Baron of Neveu has owned this estate since 1828 .

The landmark in the corner is an old  Güterstein, a stone marking the boundary of the land, which demarcated the former estate of  Gengenbach Abbey . It depicts the coat of arms of Baden, a red diagonal band on a golden shield, and a ruler’s hat with a cross, which is merged with the shield.