Betzenstein Castle

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Betzenstein Castle
Betzenstein Castle - View of the north and south castle

Betzenstein Castle - View of the north and south castle

Creation time : around 1187
Castle type : Höhenburg, location
Conservation status: Preserved essential parts
Standing position : Ministeriale
Place: Betzenstein
Geographical location 49 ° 40 '55.1 "  N , 11 ° 25' 1.6"  E Coordinates: 49 ° 40 '55.1 "  N , 11 ° 25' 1.6"  E
Height: 512  m above sea level NN
Betzenstein Castle (Bavaria)
Betzenstein Castle

The castle Betzenstein is a high medieval hilltop castle on the 512  m above sea level. NN high Schlossberg in the town of Betzenstein (Burgweg 7–9) in the Upper Franconian district of Bayreuth in Bavaria .

history

View of the castle over the town of Betzenstein from the east
View of the higher north castle from the east
South castle and curtain wall from the east

The castle was probably built around 1187 and was the seat of Ministerial Friedrich von Betzenstein. Was first mentioned in the castle Betzenstein with the August 11, 1311 investiture of Konrad von Schlüsselbergstraße by the Bamberg bishop Wulfing of Stubenberg , where the merits of Schlüsselberger for the Bishopric of Bamberg was explicitly pointed out.

The bishopric lost part of the castle through the feud between Bishop Werntho Schenk von Reicheneck and Ulrich von Leuchtenberg . Landgrave Ulrich gave his part of the castle to the crown of Bohemia on May 30, 1327. It is possible that there was a double complex at that time, whereby the northern rock could have been built on with the episcopal castle, the southern one with the Leuchtenberg castle. This is also indicated by a part of the castle attested in the 16th century and now desolate.

After the Bishops of Würzburg and Bamberg had reached an agreement with the Burgraves of Nuremberg in 1347, the property went to the Burgraves , who sold it to the Leuchtenberg Landgraves in 1359. These were now in possession of the entire castle complex and were given the right by Emperor Charles IV to fortify the Betzenstein market .

In 1402 the castle was occupied by King Ruprecht I and on February 13, 1418 Landgrave Leopold sold the castle and the town of Betzenstein to Count Palatine Johann von Neumarkt-Neunburg . Shortly afterwards, the castle was destroyed in the Bavarian War 1420-22 and rebuilt in 1550. It burned down on May 20, 1553 during the Second Margrave War .

From 1555 to the 18th century, reconstruction work and various renovations were carried out. The castle is privately inhabited and is not accessible.

Today the half-ruin is a landmark building that characterizes the landscape. D-4-72-118-9 “Betzenstein Castle, northern part of the complex, essentially the second half of the 11th century, single-storey hipped roof construction, 16./17. Century, followed by a hipped roof made of wood, 1929; Remains of the surrounding walls, 16th century ”and D-4-72-118-8“ Betzenstein Castle, southern part of the double castle, in the core second half of the 11th century, house on the southern summit, two-storey saddle roof building, 17th / 18th century. Century, adjoining round tower with tent roof, around 1630; Cistern, 16./18. Century; Remains of the enclosing walls, first half of the 16th century ”, as well as the ground monument D-4-6334-0061“ Findings from the Middle Ages and the early modern times in the area of ​​the Betzenstein castle ruins ”recorded by the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation .

description

The first part of the castle is said to have been demolished as early as the 18th century, including a tower in the northern upper castle in 1709. A single-storey building from 1558 with a hipped roof on a T-shaped floor plan and a high base and a two-storey round tower with a tent roof on the south castle have been preserved. In the northeast area, a two-story building from the 17th to 18th centuries was significantly changed in the 20th century.

literature

  • Kai Kellermann: Stately gardens in Franconian Switzerland - a search for traces . Verlag Palm & Enke, Erlangen and Jena 2008, ISBN 978-3-7896-0683-0 , pp. 26–31.
  • Robert Giersch, Andreas Schlunk, Berthold Frhr. von Haller: Castles and mansions in the Nuremberg countryside. Altnürnberger Landschaft, Lauf an der Pegnitz 2006, ISBN 3-00-020677-9 , pp. 37–40.
  • Toni Eckert, Susanne Fischer, Renate Freitag, Rainer Hofmann, Walter Thousand Pounds: The Castles of Franconian Switzerland - A cultural guide. Gürtler Druck, Forchheim o. J. (1997), ISBN 3-9803276-5-5 , pp. 28-31.
  • Ruth Bach-Damaskinos, Peter Borowitz: Palaces and castles in Upper Franconia - a complete representation of all palaces, manors, castles and ruins in the Upper Franconian independent cities and districts . Verlag A. Hofmann, Nuremberg 1996, ISBN 3-87191-212-3 , pp. 129-130.
  • Rainer Hofmann (edit.): Guide to archaeological monuments in Germany, Volume 20: Franconian Switzerland. Konrad Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart 1990, ISBN 3-8062-0586-8 , pp. 139-140.
  • Gustav Voit, Walter Rüfer: A castle tour through Franconian Switzerland - In the footsteps of the draftsman AF Thomas Ostertag. 2nd Edition. Verlag Palm & Enke, Erlangen 1991, ISBN 3-7896-0064-4 , pp. 33-36.
  • Hellmut Kunstmann : The castles of eastern Franconian Switzerland . Commission publisher Ferdinand Schöningh, Würzburg 1965, DNB 452649552 , pp. 434–459.

Web links

Commons : Burg Betzenstein  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Location of the ruin in the Bavaria Atlas
  2. ↑ List of monuments for Betzenstein (PDF) at the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation (PDF; 138 kB)