Falkenstein castle ruins (Taunus)

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Falkenstein castle ruins
Falkenstein Castle in 2001, view of the gate and keep from the freely accessible interior of the castle

Falkenstein Castle in 2001, view of the gate and keep from the freely accessible interior of the castle

Alternative name (s): New Falkenstein
Creation time : around 1350
Castle type : Hilltop castle
Conservation status: Keep, enclosing walls
Standing position : Nobles
Place: Königstein im Taunus - Falkenstein
Geographical location 50 ° 11 '25 "  N , 8 ° 28' 36"  E Coordinates: 50 ° 11 '25 "  N , 8 ° 28' 36"  E
Height: 450  m above sea level NHN
Falkenstein castle ruins (Hesse)
Falkenstein castle ruins

The Falkenstein Castle , and Neu-Falkenstein called, is the ruins of a hilltop castle in the same climatic health resort of Falkenstein , a district of Königstein in the Hochtaunuskreis in Hesse . The surrounding mountain is called Burghain Falkenstein nature reserve.

location

View from the Falkenstein castle ruins to Frankfurt and the Lower Main Plain , in the foreground on the left Kronberg Castle above the town of the same name
The castle complex from the outside.
View from the Lips Temple to the Burghain and the Falkenstein castle ruins. In the back left on the horizon the Melibokus in the Odenwald , in front of it the runway west .

The castle ruins at 450  m above sea level. NHN can be seen from afar, both from Königstein im Taunus and from the direction of Kronberg im Taunus . Frankfurt am Main and large parts of the Rhine-Main plain can be seen from the castle ruins . The way to the castle is very well signposted and there are several routes starting at the Koenigstein spa. However, the facility is not overcrowded with tourists, partly because it is not signposted outside of the village. The stairway is at the Catholic Church going off Reichenbachweg; there is a sign. The castle can only be reached on foot. The path from the Catholic Church is about 330 meters long and leads uphill. The castles of Königstein are adjacent to the southwest in about 1.5 kilometers as the crow flies and Kronberg to the southeast in about three kilometers as the crow flies.

history

The castle was built in the middle of the 14th century by the lords of Bolanden-Falkenstein , who had their headquarters on Donnersberg at Falkenstein Castle in the Palatinate , as Neu-Falkenstein Castle, right next to the one presumably from the 11th century from Nürings Castle . In 1364 it was in connection with the Imperial War against Philip VI. first mentioned by Falkenstein ( Falkensteiner feud ).

The castle changed hands in quick succession from the end of the 14th century. The Counts of Sponheim were followed by Philipp von Nassau (1385) and the lords of Hattstein and the lords of Kronberg , who were first feudal lords and then owners. Around 1500, which was ring-wall by Flankierungstürme amplified and the late Gothic keep in churn shape (similar to that in Idstein ) supplemented. At the beginning of the 17th century the castle came into the possession of the Lords of Staffel .

With a document dated January 18, 1680, Adolf Johann Karl Freiherr von Bettendorf (as the successor to Gerhard Adam von Staffel, who died childless) received Falkenstein Castle and the village as a Nassau-Weilburg fief .

The end of the castle came after the Thirty Years War . It lost its importance and fell into disrepair. Parts of it were still inhabited by the Lords of Bettendorf until around 1780 , but were then demolished. The gradual demolition of the rest of the facility was not stopped until 1842. The entrance gate visible today is a reconstruction from that time.

In 1945 the castle became the property of the then Falkenstein community. Due to the lack of a "castle restaurant", a water connection and sanitary facilities, celebrations, theater plays and overnight stays in the castle are not possible. The Heimatverein Falkenstein is committed to preserving the local landmark, both ideally and materially through donations. Once a year in summer a public festival of the Falkenstein men's choir (MGV Falkenstein) takes place there. This association also uncovered the only cellar inside the castle in the 1970s.

In literary terms, the castle ruins were immortalized by the poet Stefan George (1868–1933) in his last volume of poems Das Neue Reich (1928) with the poem Burg Falkenstein : “To the wooded hilltop / I climbed next to you / Wo auf Rauh-gradem eck tower / me the round tower rises [...] "

investment

The circular wall , part of the shield wall , the 18-meter-high keep on a base area of ​​6.75 by 6.75 meters with its high entrance at four meters, remains of buildings on the east side and two cannon towers are well preserved. The size of the inner castle was about 90 by 30 meters. The rectangular keep dates from the 14th century with its round tower from the 15th century.

The entire castle ruins are currently (as of end of 2013) open from March to October daily from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. From November to February, the castle complex is only open on weekends from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. As a rule, access is controlled by members of the Falkenstein home association and an entrance fee of two euros per person is charged. Citizens of Königstein have free entry on presentation of proof, but a donation is requested. The nearby Dettweiler Temple is freely accessible as a lookout point at any time.

The keep is currently not open to the public, but is opened irregularly during celebrations. In the summer months it is also usually open to the general public once a month - usually on a Saturday. The castle offers a very nice view of the Rhine - Main plain beyond the Opel Zoo and Kronberg Castle . The castle is part of the 2013 Taunusklub e. V. created 3-castle-way Königstein - Falkenstein - Kronberg .

literature

  • Magnus Backes, Hans Feldtkeller : Art-historical hiking guide Hessen . Pawlack, Herrsching 1984, ISBN 3-88199-133-6
  • Beate Großmann-Hofmann and Hans-Curt Köster: Königstein im Taunus: History and Art , 2nd, expanded and updated edition 2010, Langewiesche publishing house, Königstein im Taunus., ISBN 978-3-7845-0777-4 , pp. 140f.
  • Rudolf Knappe: Medieval castles in Hessen. 800 castles, castle ruins and fortifications. 3. Edition. Wartberg-Verlag, Gudensberg-Gleichen 2000, ISBN 3-86134-228-6 , p. 465f.
  • Anette Löffler: The Lords and Counts of Falkenstein (Taunus): Studies on territorial and property history, on imperial political position and on the genealogy of a leading ministerial family; 1255-1418. (Sources and research on Hessian history 99), ISBN 3-88443-188-9 , Darmstadt 1994
  • Rolf Müller (Ed.): Palaces, castles, old walls. Published by the Hessendienst der Staatskanzlei, Wiesbaden 1990, ISBN 3-89214-017-0 , p. 217f.

Web links

Commons : Falkenstein Castle in the Taunus  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Stefan George: The New Kingdom. Berlin: Bondi, 1928 (complete edition of the works, final version; vol. 9), pp. 53–57, here p. 54.
  2. ^ 3-Burgen-Weg Königstein - Falkenstein - Kronberg at taunusklub.de