Hochstein Castle

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hochstein Castle
The Hochstein castle stable above the village

The Hochstein castle stable above the village

Creation time : around 1140
Castle type : Hilltop castle
Conservation status: Burgstall
Standing position : Ministerials
Place: Bissingen- Hochstein
Geographical location 48 ° 43 '3.7 "  N , 10 ° 35' 39.1"  E Coordinates: 48 ° 43 '3.7 "  N , 10 ° 35' 39.1"  E
Height: 480  m above sea level NN
Hochstein Castle (Bavaria)
Hochstein Castle

The remains of the high medieval castle Hochstein lie west of Bissingen above the district Hochstein in the district of Dillingen an der Donau in Swabia . The headquarters of the Lords von Hochstein has now disappeared, except for traces of the terrain and rock cuts. The baroque chapel on Burgplatz dates from the 17th century.

Geographical location

The Burgstall (480 m above sea level), 40 meters above the Wildbach Valley , is freely accessible.

history

The chapel from the castle plateau

The Hochsteiners were servants of the noble lords of Hohenburg . A Utto von Hochstein was first mentioned around 1140.

In 1267 a branch of the von Hohenburg family was already sitting on the fortress.

As early as 1271, the rule came into the possession of the powerful Counts of Oettingen . The castle was given to servants. In 1410, for example, Jörg von Steinheim was sitting on the Hochstein.

In 1455 the castle was probably already uninhabited. In that year Hans Schenk von Schenkenstein acquired the rule. The Schenkensteiners built a new castle behind the castle rock around 1500. The old castle complex is said to have burned down shortly before.

The castle was probably destroyed in the Thirty Years War . In the middle of the 17th century, the St. Margaret's Chapel was built on the castle rock.

description

The angular castle rock is up to 15 meters high. The main castle on the rock plateau was preceded by a spacious outer castle on the mountain side . However, the area of ​​this outer bailey has been greatly changed by the current development.

About 10 meters below the main castle, a slope terrace runs around the rock on three sides. This land section is extended to the east like a bailey. An earth ramp enables the ascent to the chapel and the castle plateau.

The access to the rock plateau has been built over with the St. Margaret Chapel since the 17th century . The passage is arched like a basket, to the right of it a few steps lead to the entrance of the chapel. The whitewashed sacred building is crowned by a turret over the gable of the gable roof. The choir is closed polygonally and is broken up by slender window openings. The two-column altar dates back to the time it was built, and there are seven votive tablets from the 18th and 19th centuries on the walls.

literature

  • The art monuments of the district of Dillingen an der Donau , edited by Werner Meyer, in the series: The art monuments of Bavaria. The art monuments of Swabia. Vol. VII. District of Dillingen on the Danube . Munich 1972, pp. 378-381, ISBN 3-486-43541-8
  • Günter Schmitt : Castle Guide Swabian Alb, Volume 6 - Ostalb: Hiking and discovering between Ulm, Aalen and Donauwörth . Biberacher Verlagsdruckerei, Biberach an der Riß 1995, ISBN 3-924489-74-2 , pp. 117-122.