Kronberg Castle
| Kronberg Castle | ||
|---|---|---|
 The castle over the old town of Kronberg |
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| Creation time : | approx. 1170 to 1505, with later modifications / additions. | |
| Castle type : | Höhenburg, rocky location | |
| Conservation status: | Preserved essential parts | |
| Standing position : | Free nobles | |
| Place: | Kronberg im Taunus | |
| Geographical location | 50 ° 10 '51.6 " N , 8 ° 30' 23.8" E | |
| Height: | 285 m above sea level NHN | |
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The Kronberg Castle is a castle in Kronberg im Taunus , a small town in the Hochtaunuskreis in Hesse . It consists of a high medieval upper castle from the Staufer period and an early modern middle castle , which has more of the character of a castle and was called "the castle" by the Kronbergers until the nearby Friedrichshof castle was built (1894).
location
The plant was built on a 285 m above sea level. NN lying spur of the old king on the Taunus south slope and was namesake for both the former knightly family , as well as for the town of Kronberg, which arose below the castle. The facility allowed a distant view to the south as far as the Spessart , via Frankfurt am Main and the Rhine - Main area to the Odenwald and further to the right over the Upper Rhine Plain to the Donnersberg in the Palatinate . In the north, the view today leads to the Taunus heights with the Falkenstein castle ruins , to the Altkönig and to Friedrichshof Palace. For tourism it is in the 3-Burgen-Weg Königstein - Falkenstein - Kronberg des Taunusklubs e. V. involved.
Overview of building and family history
The time and circumstances of the establishment are not known. It is assumed that the founding phase dates back to the late period of Emperor Konrad III . or the early days of Frederick I (Emperor Barbarossa) go back in the middle or second half of the 12th century. At that time, Ministeriale von Eschborn , whose existence has been documented since 1189/90, built or took over the castle. This could have been done on behalf of the emperor , but there are no documents on this. The complex built on Krongut over a rock spur - hence the name Kronberg (until 1933 generally Cronberg , sometimes also Cronbergk or Cronenberg ) - was perhaps fortified in an initial phase by wooden palisades . Archaeological and structural findings suggest that the three towers of the upper castle were erected between 1170 and 1200, followed by the connecting walls between the towers. At the same time, settlements, predominantly made of wood, for servants were likely to have stood inside and in the immediate vicinity of the castle. The oldest ceramic finds from the area of the Mittelburg (remains of dishes and tiles) are dated to around 1200 to 1250.
Different motives are assumed to be the reason for the construction: 1) The complex may have been built as part of a castle protection circle around the Wetterau Crown Estate (together in particular with Munzenberg Castle and the Ronneburg ). 2) It may have been built to protect the imperial city of Frankfurt with the then royal palace. 3) It may have been built as additional protection (next to Königstein Castle) for the trade route between Frankfurt and Cologne, which is within sight.
The first written mention of those von Kronberg , as the servants from Eschborn called themselves from the beginning of the 13th century, dates from 1230. The castle complex was soon given to fiefdom and should belong to the family as long as male heirs were recorded. Because it was owned jointly by different branches of the family and individuals, the complex represented a Ganerbeburg . It also included other parts of the castle early on: the family lines of the ear trunk (extinct in 1461) and the wing trunk (extinct in 1617), which branched off in the 14th century, lived in houses of the "lower castle" right next to the castle gate and castle chapel, while the crown tribe, which survived until 1704, lived in or in the middle castle . at least retained as the official headquarters. The houses of the lower castle were demolished in the decades after the wing trunk died out (1617) and can only be seen in remnants on the former ground floor (from inside the city history museum). The current castle gate was built in the second half of the 15th century as a replacement for an earlier gate that was probably located elsewhere. Its upper floor was used by the porter as an apartment. The current oak gate leaves, however, date from the restoration period around 1900. The castle chapel adjoining the castle gate was consecrated in 1342. It served as a burial place for numerous Kronberg knight families and still contains some epitaphs (grave monuments) of the Kronberg knights, but especially graves of the House of Hesse since the first half of the 20th century . The chapel was destroyed by bombing in 1943, which means that the graves of the House of Hesse are now in the uncovered part. The choir and the graves are not open to the public.
From the castle to the city, underground, but now filled in, connecting passages were created. From the 15th century onwards, some of the noble families settled on estates within the town of Kronberg, for example on the Hellhof and on the Westerburg, which can still be seen in remnants in the townscape. In addition, they also acquired or inherited properties far away, especially in the Hintertaunus, in what is now Rhineland-Palatinate, in the Black Forest and in Bohemia.
The Lords of Kronberg and their families developed multiple relatives and professional ties with other ruling families and institutions, mostly within a radius of about 50–100 km. One motivation for this may have been that the relatively small Reichslehen Kronberg would not have been able to provide for all members of the branching families. For this reason, Kronbergers hired themselves out to neighboring territorial lords, for example in the Electoral Palatinate and in the Archdiocese of Mainz. As a result, their center of life was often no longer the castle or town of Kronberg itself, but the castle continued to serve as a point of identification for the sex and the community of inheritors.
The structures of the castle complex that are still visible today were mostly built between around 1170 and 1505, but with additions as part of three major restoration and addition phases:
- At the beginning of the 17th century with a partial reconstruction of the central castle and redesign of the gables to typical roll-work gables, probably also the addition of the stand bay in the west wing; the lower castle was also torn down;
- around 1875 to 1912 by the Taunus Club with improved accessibility to the upper castle and the tower, and by Empress Victoria , the wife of Emperor Friedrich III. who called herself Empress Friedrich after the death of her husband , and then through her son-in-law ( Friedrich Karl von Hessen ) with various renovations and in some cases free modifications and additions to the central castle complex (including the construction of the battlements and the prince's tower);
- after 2000, when the entire facility was subjected to renewed renovation, restoration and adaptation to the flow of visitors and new uses. The renovation of the city and castle wall is currently being tackled (2020), as is the renovation of the chapel wall at the school garden.
The upper castle of the Staufer period (from approx. 1170)
Of the three prominent tower-like buildings of the upper castle, the two lower (and rather older) towers were once a little higher and thoughtful, the high tower, however, significantly lower than today and perhaps built around 1200; the expansion to today's external shape with simultaneous internal reinforcement did not take place until about 300 years later. The upper castle is accessed today via a stone staircase that leads up from the Mittelburgebene level and was laid out in the upper part by the Taunus Club at the end of the 19th century, and in the lower part around 2000. How the original access path to the upper castle ran, is not known, especially since strong earth movements made the earlier rise disappear. At the gate tower you can see a (partially restored) round arch made of white limestone and black lung stone (a basalt shape ), which is characteristic of the Romanesque construction phase . The small concrete staircase inside the gate tower leading to the courtyard was created in order to reach the level of the courtyard level, which has been raised over the centuries by rubble and rubbish. The gate tower is also called the chapel tower because of the gate chapel on the upper floor. The inaccessible chapel located above the passage contains a small choir with two sacraments and is recognizable as such from the courtyard by the slightly rounded bay window.
The pentagonal tower in the rear area of the upper castle has an unusual outline, presumably a former residential tower with an entrance that is no longer recognizable today and presumably in the middle. Around 1500 it was converted into a square protection tower (a casemate ) with a protective vault inside and reinforced with a wall up to 2.5 m thick. What is striking are the slit mouths, which are rather rare in terms of defense technology. Today's entrance to the pentagonal tower was secured by using a boundary stone as a lintel around 1900, but had a makeshift entrance at this point for a long time, perhaps to serve as a warehouse or stable for the tower keeper and his family. Today's concrete floor was not laid until around 2000. The five wooden steles and wooden seats that have been erected inside since 2018 were carved from a beech tree that had fallen in a storm the year before and symbolize authorities in the High Middle Ages (bishop, emperor, empress, princess, knight).
The nowadays a spiral staircase of the Taunus clubs about two-thirds mountable free tower is the former keep of the medieval castle; its base plinth, which extends in the lower third (up to the small recess in the masonry), probably indicates the former upper edge, on which a roof structure was presumably located. The tower has a footprint of 8.4 by 8.4 meters and a high entrance on the inside of the castle at a height of (today) 7 meters. Its current total height of around 43 m and its distinctive shape with a raised, but narrower butter churn attachment at 33 m height, it received shortly after 1500 together with an interior reinforcement and the construction of the casemate in the pentagonal tower as well as a kennel and three bulwarks on the north and west side the castle complex - all measures to defend against attack weapons that were becoming more effective at the time. In the past, the tower could only be climbed via steep but massive stairs, both from the outside and inside. Even after it was used in the Middle Ages, a tower keeper and family lived and watched in the tower until 1839.
In addition to the three buildings still visible today, the presumed locations of earlier additions can also be seen on the wall sections of the upper castle complex. An actual representative Palas , like many other castles that Kronberger Obernburg had not but obviously. On today's viewing platform, which offers a view over the Rhine-Main, there is the base of a small rotunda on the right, which is interpreted as the remainder of a small tower.
The central castle from the 14th to 17th centuries
The west wing of the central castle and the mighty (but formerly lower) flag tower attached to the inner courtyard date back to at least the first half of the 14th century and still have a number of Gothic architectural elements. The north wing to the right of the castle entrance, on the other hand, was only built around 1505 and in the style of the Renaissance period on the site of a previous building, of which remains of the foundation wall can be seen inside the kitchen area. The combination of the west and north wings gave the central castle the shape it is built around the corner today. The two wings of the building have sometimes been referred to together as the “Old Palace” since Friedrichshof Palace was built. The terms "crown stem house" and "wing stem house" used at times for west and north wings are now considered to be an erroneous family tree assignment and are no longer used.
The west wing was formerly more divided into individual rooms than it is today, but it also contained representative large rooms, as they are used again today for different occasions (exhibitions, concerts, lectures). On its south wall (towards the Prinzengarten), a two-storey standing bay was erected on the outside at the beginning of the 16th century instead of a chapel bay that was previously only added to the upper floor. The flag tower mentioned in the corner of the entire complex was originally lower and perhaps flat at the top with battlements. Its two high bay annexes facing the courtyard were added in the 15th century, the two rear bay annexes, however, only (probably for reasons of symmetry) as part of the restoration and historicization around 1900.
The north wing contains a large kitchen on the ground floor with an impressive barrel vault, a fireplace (forge) and an old cistern , mentioned as early as 1367, which at that time was still in the open . In front of the right side of the building is the octagonal tower with a narrow spiral staircase next to today's small staircase (which was angled by Empress Friedrich by 90 °) into the museum area. The spiral staircase of the tower served the servants as a connection from the ground floor to the lordship's apartments. A wider spiral staircase for the lord's family can be found in the corner behind the flag tower. Both the octagonal tower and the so-called coat of arms hall of the west wing provide access to the historicizing battlement built around 1900 and to the so-called prince's tower built around 1912. While the load-bearing wall partially follows the course of the wall found during the restoration, the battlement itself is a free addition based on parapet models in Nuremberg and Rothenburg ob der Tauber, to give visitors the principle of a medieval castle battlement with loopholes and " machicolation " (opening above the door for the purpose of addressing the newcomer).
The stepped gables of the two wings, which were formerly stepped in the Gothic style , as can still be seen on the oldest engravings on the two buildings, were replaced by the current scrollwork or tail gables in the early 17th century . In this context, the aforementioned stand bay window was probably created. In addition, there were only a few external changes, but changes in the room layout and design, which were more fragmented and more heavily loaded with furniture than today.
As early as 1617, the last male descendant of the wing tribe died in Hellhof, still preserved today, in the town of Kronberg, and in 1704 the last male and childless descendant of the crown tribe died at Hohlenfels Castle in the Hintertaunus. However, since the 30 Years War (1618–1648) , the family lived mainly on other estates, including in Bohemia . From now on, parts of the castle complex fell into disrepair due to lack of maintenance, were torn down or used for other purposes.
Later uses and changes (1704–1992)
After the Lords of Kronberg died out in 1704, the castle became part of the Electorate of Mainz , with which relations had existed for centuries. The local electoral Mainz bailiff took his seat in the central castle for some time. Parts of the building were used as a Catholic school and a teacher's apartment, and the school garden that still exists today was laid out below the palace garden (now called “Prinzengarten”). During the Napoleonic wars , the castle was occupied by French troops, some of them changed and damaged; the lower part of the flag tower was used as a prison, the castle chapel was used as a stable for a while. From 1802/03 the town and castle came to Nassau-Usingen and 1806 to the Duchy of Nassau . In 1866 the castle and town were taken over by Prussia . The west wing was now used in very different ways, including by a small carpenter's workshop, but it had already become very dilapidated.
All the remaining castle buildings were in an increasingly desolate condition, some in danger of collapsing and in many places without intact windows and doors. However, Prussia assessed the entire complex as a monument worth preserving, which combined in an excellent way different architectural styles from the Romanesque to the early modern period. At the end of the 19th century, after taking her summer widow's residence in what is now Bad Homburg , Empress Friedrich had the complex restored by the architect and building officer Louis Jacobi , bringing it into line with the previous state of construction and designing it as a public museum complex. She brought a considerable collection of weapons with her from Potsdam and, through purchase, organized a rich interior that was supposed to be reminiscent of the approximate condition of the early modern period at the beginning of the 17th century. The contemporary inventory she acquired included many pieces of furniture, stoves and other items, all deliberately from before 1704. After her death (1901), the work was continued by her son-in-law Friedrich Karl von Hessen.
While much in and at the end was professionally restored according to today's standards and based on the presumed condition around 1600, other areas have been added relatively freely, including the installation of various stoves and new chimneys . The late Gothic fireplace in the terracotta hall comes from the Stadtwaage building in Frankfurt. The fireplace in the terracotta hall is neo-Romanesque . The battlements and the prince's tower are also freely designed . The gate leading through the battlement wall comes from Frankfurt-Praunheim . Some of the interior decorations, such as freely reproduced paintings and inscriptions in the coat of arms hall of the west wing, show characteristics of historicism and Art Nouveau around 1900. On the part of the Empress, a connection between the middle and upper castle was designed (as can be seen from the outside), but not finally implemented. On May 25, 1912, the castle, which had been completely restored by her daughter and son-in-law over the past 11 years, was opened to the public as a museum complex, the main building on June 1, 1913. Through the two world wars and their consequences, through occupations and lack of supervision during As a result of the confusion, many items were lost again in the first half of the 20th century, while others were taken away or sold.
The Eibenhain to the north of the Zwinger, which is part of today's castle complex, was only acquired by the House of Hesse after the Second World War and belonged to the garden area of a former private wooden house at the location of today's small castle car park on Königsteiner Straße. It was probably created in the 18th century, but could also be of autochthonous origin. When the foundation took over the castle in the 1990s, it was an overgrown thicket of various types of trees and shrubs and was converted to meet the needs of visitors through voluntary care measures. Today it is a place of rest with around 200 yew trees of very different ages and benches, but also offers many bird species a place to live and retreat.
Foundation "Burg Kronberg im Taunus" (since 1992/1994)
In 1992 the city of Kronberg acquired the castle, albeit with practically no inventory, from the property of the Hessian House Foundation ; In 1994 the foundation "Burg Kronberg im Taunus" was established. From 2001 to 2002 the upper castle was completely renovated, then the middle castle until 2004. From 2012 to 2017, extensive restorations and renovations were carried out in the west wing, which were also supported by a large private donation. For reasons of operational safety and easier access to the upper floors, a modern staircase and lift system was added to the rear part, which cannot be seen from the front. In 2016, the coat of arms hall on the first floor of the west wing with the restorations carried out in 1899 and additions to the coat of arms as well as pictorial and inscribed additions (where the original was not preserved) was opened to the public, in 2017 also the hall above, which has been used mainly for exhibitions since then . Further renovation and restoration work is currently underway, in particular renovations and securing in the area of the castle and city walls behind the central castle as well as in the area of the chapel and the school garden. These areas are therefore currently (2019/2020) not open to the public.
The castle complex can be entered for a fee that is used for maintenance purposes. It is also used for cultural and private events. Visits to the rooms and reconstructed interior furnishings, especially from the north wing, are only possible as part of a guided tour. The horticultural care and the tours are largely carried out on a voluntary basis by members of the Kronberg Castle Association. V. done. These also serve the city history museum set up in front of the castle gate, which offers an overview of the history of the city of Kronberg with numerous exhibits.
Exhibitions
- Visits to the grounds and the upper castle from Wednesday to Sunday between spring and around the end of October. The museum interiors of the central castle can be viewed as part of guided tours (usually in the early afternoon).
- Permanent exhibition in the Museum of City History (Sat, Sun and public holidays from 1 pm to 5 pm, access in the cash area, free admission, every 2nd Sunday 2.30 p.m. short tour). Numerous exhibits, models, photographs, historical connections
- Temporary exhibitions in the Rheinberger-Saal in the west wing of the castle (2nd floor, elevator). Open during the opening times of the castle, admission included in the castle entrance fee.
See also
- Kronberg im Taunus
- Kronberg (noble family)
- Family list of the Kronberg family
- Kronberg Feud (1389)
- Eberwin von Kronberg († 1303, Bishop of Worms)
- Walther von Cronberg (1477–1543, German and Grand Master of the Teutonic Order)
- Hartmut XII. von Kronberg (1488–1549, author of numerous leaflets and letters)
- Johann Eberhard von Kronberg (1547–1617, Burgrave of Friedberg (Hesse))
- Johann Schweikhard von Kronberg (1553–1626, Archbishop and Elector of Mainz)
Web links
- Website of the castle association
- Jens Friedhoff's entry on Kronberg Castle in the " EBIDAT " scientific database of the European Castle Institute
- Renaissance castles in Hesse (project at the Germanic National Museum by Georg Ulrich Großmann )
Individual evidence
- ^ 3-Burgen-Weg Königstein - Falkenstein - Kronberg at taunusklub.de
- ↑ EBIDAT - The Castle Database , website of the European Castle Institute as a facility of the DBV; accessed on October 13, 2019
- ^ G. Strickhausen: Schlitzmaulscharten on the Oberburg Kronberg im Taunus. In: Fortress Journal. Journal of the German Society for Fortress Research e. V., Issue 21 (Dec. 2003), pp. 52-56
- ↑ Ludwig Friedrich Christian Karl Freiherr von Ompteda: The von Kronberg and her manor: a cultural-historical tale from eleven centuries 770 to 1898. Frankfurt a. M.: Keller, 1899. Digitized
- ^ G. Strickhausen & N. Strickhausen-Boden: Burg Kronberg , DRV-Kunstführer 671, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-422-02324-6 .
- ^ Alfred Hansmann: 1200 years of Praunheim. A journey into Praunheim's past. Frankfurt-Praunheim 2004: Vereinsring Praunheim. ISBN 3-00-013189-2 , page 61
- ↑ Editorial Cronberger Anzeiger from May 25, 1912
- ↑ Wing parent company needs a new name in FAZ of May 9, 2012, page 41
- ↑ Empress Friedrich had the hall trimmed to look old in FAZ on June 13, 2016, page 42
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