Altdahn Castle
| Altdahn Castle | ||
|---|---|---|
 The Dahner Burgengruppe |
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| Creation time : | Between 1200 and 1236 | |
| Castle type : | Höhenburg, rocky location | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Standing position : | Ministeriale | |
| Construction: | Humpback cuboid | |
| Place: | Dahn | |
| Geographical location | 49 ° 9 '1 " N , 7 ° 48' 9" E | |
| Height: | 337 m above sea level NHN | |
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The castle Altdahn is the ruin of a rock castle in the southern Palatinate Forest , the German part of the Wasgau ( Rheinland-Pfalz ).
Geographical location
The castle at 337 m, just under 1 km east of the country town of Dahn, belongs to the Dahner Burgengruppe , which also includes the Grafendahn and Tanstein castles . The three castles were not built at the same time, but right next to each other on a ridge. A similar form of castle building is z. B. can also be found in the Vosges in Upper Alsace near the three castles of Husseren .
Other nearby attractions include a. the Neudahn Castle and the natural rock Virgin jump .
history
Altdahn was probably built at the beginning of the 13th century. In 1236 Friedrich von Dahn administered the castle as a feudal man of the Bishop of Speyer , who was then called Konrad IV von Dahn and was probably his relative. The further history of the castle is marked by many wars and destruction, which were repeatedly replaced by construction phases.
Altdahn was destroyed for the first time in 1363 during a feud between the Dahner and the Fleckenstein family . Subsequently, a servant took possession of the castle and restored it makeshiftly. In 1372 it was destroyed again and the nobleman was expelled. In 1406 the castle was destroyed in the Four Lords War , which was fought from 1405 to 1408 mainly in Bliesgau , 40 km to the west . In 1426 and 1438 it burned down without any military influence.
After two centuries of relative prosperity, Altdahn suffered damage again during the Thirty Years' War (1618–48). Right at the beginning of the Palatine War of Succession , the castle was finally destroyed in 1689 by French troops under the leadership of General Mélac .
On May 11, 1820, a rock fall occurred in which large parts of the remaining ruins collapsed.
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy visited the castle ruins on August 5, 1844 to paint pictures of it. They are exhibited in the castle museum, as is a medieval silver spoon with the coat of arms of the Lords of Dahn.
In 1877 the Dahner Beautification Association carried out the first renovation work under the Bavarian government . In 1936, during the National Socialist era , restoration was resumed. After the interruption caused by the Second World War, it has lasted from 1960 to the present day.
In 2007 cracks were found in a 1100-ton sandstone block at the castle. Should this break, a third of the castle could be destroyed. Geologists put sensors on to the stone to observe further developments. The rock could be secured with abutments on the ground; however, this measure would be very expensive and complex. After the sensors had not registered any changes on the rock, the experts gave the all-clear in June 2008. The electronic sensors have been dismantled and replaced by so-called “rock spies” that can be read visually; so that the rock should be closely observed for two more years.
investment
On the cliffs of the Dahner Burgengruppe, which run roughly from east-northeast to west-southwest, Altdahn Castle occupies the two largest, which lie to the east and have a total length of about 100 m. The entrance was in the northeast, where the gate and a small ditch filled with water have been preserved. The lower castle is dominated in the north by a horseshoe-shaped turret, in the south by another tower, which has a similar shape.
Notable remains of the upper castle are preserved on the western cliffs, including the north wall of the palace and a watch-tower , probably as a result of bay remains abortion tower has served. The southern part of the hall was destroyed in the rock fall of 1820. The remains of a round, conically widening cavity in the rock were exposed, which is interpreted as a cistern or dungeon . On the remains of the east side, humpback cuboid masonry can be seen.
The isolated eastern castle rock can be reached via narrow passages. It once carried a small tower.
Entry to the site is free. The museum with finds located on the site is open after prior appointment by telephone; there is an entrance fee.
View of the remaining north wall of the hall and tower
South tower and crane wheel
View from Tanstein over Grafendahn to Altdahn
View from the keep over the former hall to the east
literature
- Marco Bollheimer: Rock castles in the Wasgau – Northern Vosges castle paradise . 3. Edition. Self-published, Karlsruhe 2011, ISBN 978-3-9814506-0-6 , p. 64-65 .
- Stefan Grathoff: The Dahner castles. Alt-Dahn - Grafendahn - Tanstein. Guide booklet 21. Edition Castles, Palaces, Antiquities Rhineland-Palatinate. Schnell and Steiner, Regensburg 2003, ISBN 3-7954-1461-X .
- Walter Herrmann: On red rock. A guide to the most beautiful castles in the Palatinate and Alsatian Wasgau . DRW-Verlag Weinbrenner, Braun, Karlsruhe 2004, ISBN 3-7650-8286-4 .
- Elena Rey: Castle Guide Palatinate . Superior, Kaiserslautern 2003, ISBN 3-936216-15-0 .
- Günter Stein : Castles and palaces in the Palatinate. A manual . Weidlich, Frankfurt 1976, ISBN 3-8035-8356-X .
- Alexander Thon, Peter Pohlit: Grafendahn . In: Jürgen Keddigkeit (Ed.): Palatinate Castle Lexicon . Contributions to the history of the Palatinate. Vol. 12/2, Institute for Palatinate History and Folklore, Kaiserslautern 2002, ISBN 3-927754-48-X , pp. 213–223.
- Alexander Thon (Ed.): ... like a banned, inaccessible magic castle. Castles in the southern Palatinate. 2nd Edition. Schnell and Steiner, Regensburg 2005, ISBN 3-7954-1570-5 , pp. 18-25.
Web links
- Dahner Felsenland: Alt-Dahn castles
- Entry for Altdahn Castle in the scientific database " EBIDAT " of the European Castle Institute
- Historical places: Altdahn Castle
- Castle Museum of the Dahn Castle Association V. ( Memento from October 25, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Castle Museum of the Dahn Castle Association. V.
- ^ Die Rheinpfalz , Ludwigshafen, April 25, 2007.
- ^ Die Rheinpfalz , Ludwigshafen, June 6, 2007.