Affenstein Castle (Dirmstein)
| Affenstein Castle Dirmstein | ||
|---|---|---|
| Alternative name (s): | Mittelburg, Wedeburg | |
| Creation time : | middle Ages | |
| Castle type : | Niederungsburg | |
| Conservation status: | Burgstall, no remains | |
| Standing position : | gentry | |
| Place: | Dirmstein | |
| Geographical location | 49 ° 33 '46.5 " N , 8 ° 14' 54" E | |
| Height: | 101 m above sea level NHN | |
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The Affenstein Castle , previously and occasionally also Mittelburg or Wedeburg , in the Palatinate village of Dirmstein (now the state of Rhineland-Palatinate ) is an abandoned moated castle that dates back to the Middle Ages . At the beginning of the modern era it became the seat of the lower aristocratic family of Affensteiner through purchase , with which its name changed accordingly. It was first mentioned in a document in connection with the change of ownership in 1510.
In Ellerstadt , about 16 km to the south , which at that time could be reached after a three-hour walk, the Affensteiner owned another castle , which was also named after them.
Geographical location
Since there are no remains of the Dirmstein castle, the sources only give the approximate location in the upper village, namely "located at Dirmstein near the upper church". The presumed castle location was east of the Laurentiuskirche and to the left of the Eckbach , which flowed through the middle of the village until the 1920s. The undeveloped area southwest of the castle and south of the church served as the castle square. An area of around 300 m², which is still free of buildings, is paved and used as a so-called church square for parking purposes.
history
Acquisition by the Affensteiner
The date of construction of the castle is just as obscure as its size or appearance. However, it must have been built in the Middle Ages, as three previous owners were named when it was first mentioned in 1510 as part of the official sales permit:
- Christian von Urzlingen
- Balthasar von Werlerswass
- Veltin von der Hauben
According to the deed, Elector Ludwig V allowed his liege, Veltin von der Hauben, to resell the “Burglin”, a small castle; Since it was a kunkelle loan from Veltin's wife Katharina von Weiler , the husband had the power of disposal, as was customary at the time. The buyer of the property was Wolf von Affenstein . He lived in the 2nd half of the 15th and in the 1st half of the 16th century. He held a doctorate and was court judge of the Electorate of the Palatinate and Reichstag envoy. The castle was subsequently named after his family.
The names for the complex, which were received from the time before and are still in use, were Mittelburg and Wedeburg . The first name indicates the location between the buildings of the nobility in the upper village and the episcopal castle below in the Niederdorf. The latter designation, which would be Weidenburg in High German , confirms the presumed location on the basis of the purchase permit to the left of the - as mentioned - then flowing Eckbach, whose banks were lined with willows . In addition, the Eckbachwasser least served until 1668 for supplying a defensive trench , of the circular wall surrounding the Affensteinischen castle. It was thus designed as a moated castle.
Castle owned by the Affensteiner
In the Peasants' War in 1525 - along with other stately buildings - the Affenstein Castle was badly damaged. In Dirmstein, the rebellious peasants were led by Erasmus von der Hauben , who was probably a son of the previous owner of the castle, Veltin von der Hauben. His widow Katharina confirmed on July 18, 1530 that the Affensteiners had paid the agreed price of 750 guilders after the purchase of 1510. The castle was in forced labor built the losing in the uprising farmers so generously again to 90 years later - in 1620 during the Thirty Years' War - one of the warlords of the Protestant Union , the Duke Johann Friedrich of Wurttemberg , and his followers for billeting could serve.
Because the von Affenstein family was a Reformed denomination , after the head of the family, the electoral captain Friedrich Casimir von Affenstein , died in 1622, they succumbed to persecution by the Catholic line of the Wittelsbach family . The Catholic Maximilian I , who came to power in the Electoral Palatinate in 1623 after the deposition of the reformed Frederick V , the “Winter King”, described the deviant confession as “Affenstein's criminal crime” and therefore finally denied the son of Friedrich Casimir, Georg Philipp von Affenstein , to take on his inheritance; the fiefdom, including the castle, which had been in the possession of the Affensteiners since 1510, i.e. for 120 years, was withdrawn. Friedrich Casimir's widow, Maria Elisabeth von Babenhausen , was even ordered to convert to the Catholic faith ; It is not known whether she obeyed the instructions. With Georg Philipp's death in 1649, the Affenstein family died out in the male line.
Castle in foreign ownership and demolition
The castle, which was ailing due to the recent damage from the Thirty Years War, came into the possession of three lords one after the other:
- Johann Heinrich Glandorf , Count of Hanau Councilor and Oberamtmann von Babenhausen , who may have been a relative of Friedrich Casimir's widow, bought the property on September 13, 1650.
- Friedrich Jacob Widt , Wuerttemberg Oberrat, complained in 1701 of further damage caused by electoral troops in 1668.
- Prince-Bishop Franz Ludwig von der Pfalz acquired the property in 1713 for his Duchy of Worms . His successor from 1732, Franz Georg von Schönborn , remained the owner of the castle until he had it completely demolished in 1748, after “1000 fathom stones” had already been used for the new building of the Lauentius Church due to the dilapidation.
literature
- Michael Martin (ed.): Dirmstein - nobility, farmers and citizens . Chronicle of the Dirmstein community. Self-published by the Foundation for the Promotion of Palatinate Historical Research , Neustadt an der Weinstrasse 2005, ISBN 3-9808304-6-2 , p. 461 ff .
References and comments
- ↑ a b c d e Michael Martin (ed.): Dirmstein - nobility, farmers and citizens . 2005, p. 461 .
- ↑ a b c d document dated November 26, 1510.
- ↑ The names Oberdorf and Niederdorf for the two settlement centers of the municipality are derived from the location above and below at the Eckbach , which flows through Dirmstein from west to east.
- ↑ The predecessor of today's Laurentiuskirche was traditionally referred to as the Upper Church in the sense of Church in the Upper Village . St. Peter's Church served as the lower church .
- ↑ Wolf von Affenstein also appears in 1534 as a plaintiff for a house in Speyer , → list of documents. (PDF; 157 KB) Heidelberg University , p. 5 , accessed on January 28, 2013 .
- ^ Genealogical page on Wolf von Affenstein. (No longer available online.) Martinszeller-verband.de, archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; Retrieved August 19, 2014 .
- ^ Rudolf Häpke: The government of Charles V and the European north . tape 1 . Georg Olms Verlag, ISBN 3-487-40543-1 , p. 289 ( digital scan of Wolf von Affenstein ).
- ↑ a b c d e Michael Martin (ed.): Dirmstein - nobility, farmers and citizens . 2005, p. 462 .
- ↑ a b c Michael Martin (ed.): Dirmstein - nobility, farmers and citizens . 2005, p. 463 .
- ↑ The epitaph is on the outer wall of the Catholic parish church St. Ulrich in Deidesheim.
- ^ → Local article Dirmstein: Wartime .