Nanstein Castle
| Nanstein Castle | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Alternative name (s): | Nannstein, Nannensteine, Nannenstul, Nantstein | |
| Creation time : | 12th Century | |
| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | Ruin , partially restored | |
| Standing position : | Ministeriale , knight | |
| Place: | Landstuhl | |
| Geographical location | 49 ° 24 '35.3 " N , 7 ° 34' 22.6" E | |
| Height: | 330 m above sea level NHN | |
|
||
The medieval Nanstein Castle high above the town of Landstuhl in the West Palatinate ( Rhineland-Palatinate ) dates from the 12th century. It owes its current fame to a later owner, the rebellious knight Franz von Sickingen , who died in 1523 during the siege and bombardment of the castle.
Geographical location
The ruins of the hilltop castle are located at 330 m above sea level. NHN high Vorberg on the ascent to the plateau beginning south of Landstuhl, which was later named Sickinger Höhe and is now part of the south-west Palatinate plateau .
The castle hill rises 80 m above the city, which in turn lies on the southern edge of the West Palatinate moorland . On its top, the castle hill has a mighty red sandstone rock of an additional 15 m height, which is also called Nanstein . Parts of the castle are built into it.
history
Established as a security castle
The first written mention of the castle, the name of which is derived from the red boulder mentioned, dates back to 1189. It was part of what is now the Palatinate part of the Hohenstaufen fortification system, which Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa had established in the old south-west German empire from around 1160 . According to feudal law, he designated the castle as the seat of a Reich Ministerial , i.e. one of his administrative officers. In the course of time the fief no longer fell back to the liege lord, but became hereditary. In later Erbgängen the property was divided gradually into smaller units so that a ganerbschaft emerged. Therefore, in the end, several families had to share the castle. The additional living space required was created through unsystematic expansion and extension. As a result, the military capability of the facility suffered.
Expansion to a cannon castle and destruction
In 1482 the knight Schweickhardt von Sickingen became co-owner of the castle as heir . His son Franz, who was born in 1481, managed to get them completely into his own property by paying off the other families. In the following years he tried to expand the facility into a modern "cannon castle" that was to withstand the newly developed heavy artillery . It soon became apparent that the efforts were in vain: after Franz had been repulsed in an attack on the Prince Diocese of Trier in September 1522 , he had to retreat to Nanstein Castle. This was attacked in the spring of 1523 by the united armies of three imperial princes and fell at the turn of the month of April / May after two days of bombardment. Franz died on May 7th as a result of a serious wound he suffered.
Reconstruction and final destruction
Franz von Sickingen's sons and grandsons rebuilt the ruins from 1543. Around 1600 was a magnificent Renaissance castle arose. With the small town of Landstuhl, located at the foot of the castle hill, it shared a city wall , which ran from both ends of the former town center about 250 m up the slope.
The building survived the Thirty Years' War unscathed. However, Charles IV , Duke of Lorraine , appropriated the castle after the Sickinger family had been driven out. In 1668 the sovereign, Count Palatine and Elector Karl I. Ludwig , took it back and had it blown up afterwards .
In the following years it was rebuilt in a makeshift manner, but was finally destroyed by the French troops in the Palatinate War of Succession in 1689.
Partial restoration
Friends of home and history have been striving to uncover and preserve the Nanstein ruins since the middle of the 19th century. Parts of the castle could be restored.
Castle complex
Size and structure
Around 1600 the castle had its greatest extent with about 125 m long and almost 100 m wide. Today's ruin is almost 100 m long and 50 m wide. The complex is divided into a central main castle and a multi-part outer castle . 19 wells , from which the castle residents were supplied with water, led down about 120 m to the groundwater level.
Attractions
Castle rock
patio
Stair tower, restored in 1969
Firing chambers
Fountain in the small roundabout
Remains of the southern outer bailey are the main gate, the lower curtain wall with star structure and the city wall branching off from it, as well as part of the Zwingermauer . The remains of the guard house and the castle chapel are still standing from the northern outer bailey .
From the north a new staircase leads to the main castle. The former knight's hall is located on the left of the castle courtyard . To the right, through a vaulted corridor, you reach a stair tower with the year 1518 and the alleged death chamber of Franz von Sickingen, which was driven deep into the Nanstein rock and in which water constantly trickles from the ceiling. The staircase climbs a platform with a wide view, especially to the north.
Also worth seeing is the kitchen with emblazoned, the Great deck of the former are battery tower and the small roundabout with the emblazoned fountain basin of 1560 and the Sickingen statue dating back to 1900. Here is to the knight, behind a loophole standing, on 1 May 1523 sustained fatal injuries to which he succumbed on May 7th.
Recreational value
Excursion destination
The managed castle is a destination that can boast buildings from four centuries. The partially rebuilt battery tower from the time of Franz von Sickingen is particularly impressive. In addition, from the height of the fortress there is a broad view of the West Palatinate Moorniederung and the North Palatinate Uplands . Access to Landstuhl and the (sufficient) visitor parking spaces at the foot of the castle is via Autobahn 6 , junction 13 ( Ramstein-Miesenbach / Landstuhl).
Events
The annual castle games in the inner courtyard have been a tradition since 1963 . On the open-air stage, the theater group of Heimatfreunde Landstuhl often presents historical themes, sometimes also in Palatinate dialect .
On the occasion of the 475th anniversary of Franz von Sickingen's death in 1998, a Sickingen year was proclaimed in Landstuhl and a memorial service was dedicated to the city's most famous son on the day he died. The winning poem of the Sickinger dialect poet contest 1997, which thematizes the death of the knight, was performed.
The Nanstein Mountain Run has been held in March since 1998. It leads from Landstuhl up to the castle over a distance of 7800 m with a total of 350 meters of altitude . It is one of the seven races for the Palatinate Mountain Run Cup and is organized by the LLG Landstuhl.
literature
- Martin Dolch / Jürgen Keddigkeit / Stefan Ulrich, Nanstein. In: Pfälzisches Burgenlexikon, Vol. 3 (Contributions to Palatine history 12.3), ed. v. Jürgen Keddigkeit / Ulrich Burkhart I Rolf Übel, Kaiserslautern 2005, pp. 646–661
- Walter Herrmann: On red rock . Lauinger Verlag, Karlsruhe 2004, ISBN 3-7650-8286-4 , p. 140-143 .
- Alexander Thon (Hrsg.): How swallows nests glued to the rocks .. Castles in the North Palatinate. Schnell and Steiner, Regensburg 2005, ISBN 3-7954-1674-4 , p. 106-111 .
Web links
- Entry on Nanstein Castle in the scientific database " EBIDAT " of the European Castle Institute
- Nanstein Castle at landstuhl.info
- Nanstein Castle at burgenwelt.org
- Reconstruction drawing in the medieval state by Wolfgang Braun
- Landstuhl Castle Games
Individual evidence
- ↑ Map service of the landscape information system of the Rhineland-Palatinate nature conservation administration (LANIS map) ( notes )
- ^ Nanstein Castle - landmark of Sickingenstadt. Unnerhaus Kulturclub Landstuhl e. V., accessed June 29, 2015 .
- ↑ Matthäus Merian: Landstuhl with Nanstein Castle . 1645 (copper engraving).
- ^ Anke Herbert: Landstuhl in the Sickingen year 98 . In: Die Rheinpfalz , complete edition . Ludwigshafen May 5, 1998 (special supplement).
- ^ Albert H. Keil: Franz. Verlag PfalzMundArt, accessed on August 13, 2014 (1st prize at the Sickinger dialect poet contest 1997).