Lützelhardt Castle (Black Forest)

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Lützelhardt Castle
Lützelhardt Castle - ruins of the main castle (western part)

Lützelhardt Castle - ruins of the main castle (western part)

Alternative name (s): Lützelhard
Creation time : around 1100 to 1150
Castle type : Höhenburg, rocky location
Conservation status: ruin
Standing position : Ministerials
Place: Seelbach
Geographical location 48 ° 18 '57 "  N , 7 ° 57' 11.3"  E Coordinates: 48 ° 18 '57 "  N , 7 ° 57' 11.3"  E
Height: 459.4  m above sea level NN
Lützelhardt Castle (Baden-Württemberg)
Lützelhardt Castle

The castle Lützelhardt even Lützel Hard written, which is ruin of a medieval castle east of Seelbach in Ortenaukreis in Baden-Wuerttemberg .

Geographical location

The former rock castle is about 460 meters above sea level. Its name goes back to the Old High German lucilinhart (small forest), which is a very rare castle name in the German-speaking area.

history

Ditch between the Vorderburg (left) and the Mittelburg (right), both gone .
Windows of the Palas

The castle originally served to secure the pass road into the Kinzig valley . From the 11th century on, the southern Ortenau came under the influence of the Zähringer . The construction of the castle in the early 12th century is likely to go back to this family. It was probably managed by a Zähringen ministerial family . However, there are few written records. In the course of disputes between the Hohenstaufen and the bishops of Strasbourg , the castle was probably destroyed around 1245 by the neighboring Geroldseckern , who belonged to the episcopal party. After that, the security of the pass road was taken over at the newly built Hohengeroldseck Castle .

View from the keep through the cistern building to the castle courtyard (behind the door). To the right of it was the residential tower , behind it the hall.
Opposite direction: cistern building, behind the donjon rest

gender

In the 12th century, Zähringer ministerials were mentioned repeatedly, bearing the name "von Lützelhardt". A branch of this family or this community of heirs rose to imperial ministry around the middle of the 12th century . A Konrad von Lützelhardt became one of the most important officials of the Hohenstaufen imperial administration in Italy . The name Mosca-in-Cervello or Mosca-in-Cerebro (Mück-im-Hirn) is passed down for this. Especially during the conquest of the Kingdom of Sicily by Henry VI. Konrad von Lützelhardt as Margrave of Molise was of central importance as a military leader. Descendants of this Konrad still appear in the 13th century and call themselves de Lucinardo . You soon appear in opposition to Emperor Friedrich II . In the late 13th century their track is lost.

legend

The legend of the Grüselhorn surrounds the castle , according to which a gentleman from Geroldseck was abducted to Lützelhardt, was able to discover his whereabouts through a familiar horn call and then free himself. Then Lützelhardt was destroyed.

description

The three parts of the castle lie on three rocks of different sizes, up to 10 meters high, and were originally probably connected by a palisade . Most of the rising walls of the castle go back to excavations and reconstructions from 1926 to 1929. The remains of the main house with Romanesque palace windows and a dragon relief are particularly impressive . Inside the main castle there is a medieval cistern and a pouring stone. Numerous finds are kept in the Lahr City Museum.

literature

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gottlieb Konrad Pfeffel: Walther von Geroldseck , Badisches Sagen-Buch II, pp. 8-14.