Berolzheim Castle

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Berolzheim Castle
Remains of the Berolzheim moated castle (May 2018)

Remains of the Berolzheim moated castle (May 2018)

Alternative name (s): Berolzheim Castle
Creation time : 1320
Castle type : Niederungsburg, location
Conservation status: only basement and built-in remains
Standing position : Knighthood
Construction: nothing special
Place: Berolzheim market
Geographical location 49 ° 0 '36.5 "  N , 10 ° 50' 50"  E Coordinates: 49 ° 0 '36.5 "  N , 10 ° 50' 50"  E
Height: 423  m above sea level NN
Berolzheim Castle (Bavaria)
Berolzheim Castle

The castle Berolzheim was a high medieval water castle immediately southeast of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Michael in the same place market Berolzheim in the Middle Franconian district of Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen in Bavaria . Very few remains of the castle have survived; today there are residential houses and the so-called Lower Castle, which was built later, in their place. The complex, known as the Upper Castle , was located a few meters west of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Maria, and only a few remains of it have survived. A third Disposed manor to Berolzheim was asSteinhaus am Goppel castle, about 1200 meters southwest of the village. From it, which was built on Roman remains, only trenches and originally Roman stone blocks remain.

History of the castle

The castle was built in 1320 by the lords of Berolzheim named for the first time in 1170 with a "Kuonradus de beroldesheim" in a document . From 1326 at the latest, the castle was in the possession of the burgrave of Nuremberg Friedrich IV , who passed it on as a fief to the knights Willich von Perolzheim. However, since the Berolzheimers were servants of the Truhendingen , it is assumed that they held the castle as a loan from the Counts of Truhendingen. Subsequent owners of the fief were around 1347 the ministerial families von Frick and von Holzingen, who received the castle by inheritance. In 1523 the von Embs family owned the castle. Since it was the seat of helpers of Hans Thomas von Absberg , the Swabian Federation attacked it . The destruction is said to have been stopped through negotiations. Wolf von Pappenheim created a new building in 1575.

Confrontation with the Swabian Confederation in 1523

In the middle of the 16th century, the robber baron Hans Thomas von Absberg kidnapped merchants on their trade trips and demanded a large ransom for their release. He looked for allies who would support him on his raids, on whose castles he could flee in case of danger and where he could hide his hostages. The Embs family also supported him in his feud. In the Franconian War in 1523, the Swabian Federation sent its troops to level a total of 23 "predatory nests" to the ground. The federal troops, which consisted of 10,000 foot soldiers and 1,000 horsemen, carried 100 cannons and 30 rifles with 900 quintals of black powder as armament. Contrary to what is shown in the woodcut, the castle was not destroyed because the family had been pardoned beforehand.

The woodcut by Hans Wandereisen

The destruction of the castle in 1523

The colored and inscribed woodcut by Hans Wandereisen says: XXIII. Berchtoltzhaym / has Jorg vo (n) Emps inn / Has been burned by the colorful.

The central motif of the cut is the castle, which is secured by a moat and a castle wall with smaller round watchtowers at the corners. The gatehouse is equipped with a drawbridge , which due to its construction is called a swing rod bridge . Buildings inside the castle, including a keep , can only be guessed at by collapsing beams and flames. While the background of the picture reveals a view of flat ridges, there are numerous half-timbered houses of the village in the foreground, which have many details in the representation. This includes, for example, the different roofing . The troops of the Swabian Federation are separated into cavalry on the left in the picture and infantry on the right in the picture. The cavalry is equipped with long spears and the flush flag on which a St. Andrew's cross can be seen. Most of them wear armor. The foot troops, some in armor , are also armed with spears. The flag carried is horizontally striped in red and white. Apparently, an event on site was also captured on scene: a person bent over the floor plays with dice , another walks towards them with a raised sword.

The woodcuts by Hans Wandereisen are considered to be important (in some cases the only) evidence of the shape of the castle complex. According to Steinmetz's work, details of the representation, apart from perspective distortions, can be classified as very precise and authentic. Nevertheless, the castle was apparently not destroyed, as, according to traditional reports, a diplomatic solution could be reached.

The plant today

Destruction of the moated castle in 1523 is still being considered for the disappearance of the complex. Another theory speaks in favor of the ruin of the complex around 1600. The castle must have been destroyed by the Thirty Years' War at the latest , as the village plans from 1667 already show houses on the site.

At the place of the moated castle there is a stately building, which is said to contain built-up remains of previous buildings. A moat is no longer visible, but several street names remind of the size and details of the moated castle.

literature

  • Local history of the Heimatverein: Markt Berolzheim - from past and present . Verlag Wiedfeld & Mehl, Ansbach 1998, pp. 59-93.
  • Konrad Spindler (edit.): Guide to archaeological monuments in Germany, Volume 14: Weissenburg-Gunzenhausen district - Archeology and history . Konrad Theiss Verlag , Stuttgart 1987, ISBN 3-8062-0493-4 , pp. 222– ff224.
  • Thomas Steinmetz: Conterfei a number of acts of war from 1523 to 1527 Jar - to representations of castles about the "Absberg feud" or the "Franconian War" . In: Contributions to the exploration of the Odenwald and its peripheral landscapes IV . Breuberg-Neustadt 1986.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ see also list of Frankish knight families # B
  2. ↑ Konrad Spindler: Guide to archaeological monuments in Germany, Volume 14: Landkreis Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen - Archeology and History , p. 222 ff.