Holdersberg Castle

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Holdersberg Castle
Machined rocks at Holdersberg Castle

Machined rocks at Holdersberg Castle

Alternative name (s): Castle on the Holdersberg
Creation time : Early middle ages
Castle type : Höhenburg, spur location
Conservation status: ruin
Place: Idstein
Geographical location 50 ° 13 '17.2 "  N , 8 ° 14' 6"  E Coordinates: 50 ° 13 '17.2 "  N , 8 ° 14' 6"  E
Height: 370  m above sea level NHN
Holdersberg Castle (Hesse)
Holdersberg Castle

Holdersberg Castle (more precisely: Castle on the Holdersberg) is an early medieval spur castle at 370  m above sea level. NHN located north above the Niederauroff district in Idstein in Hesse . It should not be confused with the nearby Nack ring wall , also on the wooded ridge of the Nack . The spur present here on the mountain is taken up by a multi-part fortification system, which at the time was 70 m to 100 m above the valley floor.

Location and description

The rock shows clear traces of processing

The Holdersberg forms the southern end of the Nack ridge. The western foothills of the Holdersberg form a spur, with a rock-based drop in the south and steep slopes in the west and north. Only towards the east is there a flat, easy-to-walk transition to the Nack.

Correspondingly, at this point, which is critical from a defense point of view, the strongest fortification with a matrix is ​​found. A striking feature of the former facility is the “Phillipsruhe” viewpoint, which is located at the western tip of the facility. The system itself has a length of about 400 m in an east-west direction, with different widths. The southern end of the rampart to the east rests on a rock fall and stretches in a slight arc with a length of approx. 120 m just over half of the ridge until it is finally lost in the ground. The present trench can only be determined over a length of 90 m. The 7 m to 8 m wide embankment is on average only 0.9 m above the floor of the 5 m to 6 m wide trench . The trench again has a depth of 0.5 m.

The outer section wall is located 200 m behind the rampart to the west . This can only be determined over a length of 35 m and, like the trench, drains into the ground at both ends. The wall rises up to 1.2 m above the bottom of the trench.

Another 45 m behind the section wall is the main building of the castle. In contrast to the two upstream walls, the main wall also leads across the terrain in the north to the western tip. The wall is about 9 m wide and still about 2.0 m high from the bottom of the trench. In the east, an approx. 20 m long, flat outer wall can also be seen.

The entrance to the castle was probably in the south, in the form of a path along the edge of the rock. The walls bend here, which is to be understood as an indication.

The castle grounds behind the main wall are 45 m wide in a north-south direction and an east-west direction approx. 130 m long. Inside the main castle there is a rectangular cut into the rock, from 3.5 m to 7.0 m in size. It is probably a cellar of a building that once stood here, perhaps the foundation of a tower.

A bailey most likely did not exist.

Historical classification

The history of the castle has not been explored. The castle complex was discovered late and was not known until 1949. No finds have been made to date, and documentary mentions are also missing. In this respect, nothing can be said about their historical significance or their origins. Judging by its facilities, it is an early medieval facility. On the basis of finds in the wider local area, the system is assigned to the Franconian era in specialist circles . The function of the facility was presumably - as far as recognizable - more military, probably a meeting point or fortified place of retreat. It wasn't a settlement. Holdersberg Castle is to a certain extent a forerunner of Idstein Castle , but it may never have been completed.

Monument protection

The area of ​​the ramparts is a ground monument according to the Hessian Monument Protection Act . Investigations and targeted collection of finds are subject to approval, and accidental finds are reported to the monument authorities.

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  • Fritz-Rudolf Herrmann : The early medieval castle on the Holdersberg . In: State Office for the Preservation of Monuments Hesse (Hrsg.): Archaeological monuments in Hesse . tape 34 , 1983.
  • Fritz Geisthardt: Idstein's story. In Idstein - past and present. Magistrate of the city of Idstein, 1987.

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