Neuleiningen Castle
| Neuleiningen Castle | ||
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 View from the outer bailey towards the main castle |
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| Creation time : | around 1240 | |
| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Standing position : | Count | |
| Place: | Newcomers | |
| Geographical location | 49 ° 32 '33.7 " N , 8 ° 8' 23.6" E | |
| Height: | 300 m above sea level NHN | |
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Neuleiningen is the ruin of a hilltop castle on the edge of the Palatinate Forest . It is located in the district of Neuleiningen in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate .
Geographical location
The castle at 269.8 m above sea level. NHN on the southern slope of the Grünstadter Berg lies at the geological interface between the Palatinate Forest and the tertiary Alzeyer hill country . The steep slopes to the deeply cut (less than 180 m ) valley of the Eckbach immediately south of the castle are still in the red sandstone of the Palatinate Forest, the route of the slightly higher A 6 , only 200 m away to the north , already runs entirely over tertiary rocks.
history
The name is derived - as with the older sister castle Altleiningen , 5 km southwest - from the presumably Franconian Counts of Leiningen , who previously owned the Leiningerland .
The castle was built after an inheritance division around 1240 by Count Friedrich III. from Leiningen-Dagsburg . Together with Battenberg Castle to the south (1,400 m as the crow flies) , it controlled the entrance to the Eckbach Valley. It remained in their sole ownership over various lines of the Leininger for more than 200 years.
In 1468, Elector Frederick the Victorious of the Palatinate interfered in Liningian inheritance disputes and took possession of the castle by force. A comparison was made in several intermediate stages in 1508: The castle was divided between the diocese of Worms and the Counts of Leiningen-Westerburg .
During the Peasants' War in 1525 , the castle was opened without a fight to the rebellious peasants, who, however, who were graciously and lavishly served by the cunning Countess Eva (1481–1543), withdrew without causing any major damage. The local poet Paul Münch describes this historically guaranteed episode in his Palatinate dialect poem Die Countess Eva vun Neileininge . Even in the Thirty Years War , the castle suffered only minor damage.
During the War of the Palatinate Succession, however, the French troops burned the entire complex in 1690. The two owners, Leiningen-Westerburg and the Diocese of Worms, could not agree on the rebuilding in the period that followed - Leiningen was in favor, but Worms was against. In 1767 Karl von Leiningen-Westerburg finally sold the Leiningen half to the diocese of Worms.
In the wake of the French Revolution , the castle ruins were secularized and in 1804 became the property of the municipality of Neuleiningen. This she sold four years later; In 1874, Count Karl Emich zu Leiningen-Westerburg-Neuleiningen (1856–1906) bought it back for his family.
investment
North-eastern defense tower (keep) of Neuleiningen Castle
Stepped gable of the hall in the northwest corner
Neuleiningen Castle, north side from the inside
Neuleiningen Castle, looking south
Parish church of St. Nikolaus, formerly the castle chapel
The castle complex is assigned to the so-called castle type , which is explained by the regular floor plan with its protruding towers. Contrary to older beliefs, however, the castle was built on the model of French castles of the early 13th century in the Ile-de-France . No existing castle was copied, but the French construction method was combined with local building traditions. The four round towers and the large number of very narrow loopholes , so-called slot slits, for bows and crossbows are striking . The Schlitzscharten are among the earliest representatives on German soil. The result was a castle which - apart from the only rudimentary Lahr (Baden) castle - is considered to be the earliest fort castle on German soil.
The interior development of the first construction phase is completely lost and could only be proven to a small extent during excavations. Today's remains come from the 14th to the early 17th century. The striking landmark of the castle is the stepped gable of the palace on the north side, which in its current appearance goes back to Landgrave Hesso von Leiningen-Dagsburg (adult from 1435–1467). In the southeast corner, the basement of the Leiningen-Westerburger residential building from around 1508 has been preserved. The castle tavern was set up there in the second half of the 20th century .
From 1874 Count Karl Emich had the southeast tower rebuilt or made more comfortable. He stayed there regularly as a holidaymaker, since he had grown fond of the Leininger Land and he became an honorary citizen of Neuleiningen. Today this tower is a walkable observation tower . Its two upper floors have been expanded into a small museum of local history , which shows earthenware products from a former local factory, which was closed in 1932, as well as other artisanal exhibits.
In spatial and temporal connection to the castle, the well-preserved fortifications from the same period (13th century) can be seen, which, due to its uniformity and overall appearance, has few parallels in the region.
Sights and culture
Southeast tower, today an observation tower
Eastern castle courtyard with castle tavern
Lookout point
The 15 m high observation tower of the castle offers an excellent view of the Upper Rhine Plain in the east, the mountains of the Palatinate Forest in the south and west and the north-west of the Donnersberg massif . The hamlet of Neuleiningen-Tal and the neighboring towns of Grünstadt-Sausenheim and Kleinkarlbach extend at the foot of the mountain village of Neuleiningen . When the weather is clear, you can also see the Speyer Cathedral , Heidelberg Castle , Worms Cathedral , Ludwigshafen , Mannheim , the Odenwald and even planes taking off at Frankfurt Airport .
Conversely, the castle, which is illuminated at night, looks very impressive from the Autobahn 6 ( Saarbrücken - Mannheim ) that passes directly to the north . In the direction of Mannheim, it appears in front of the backdrop of the densely populated Rhine plain, while the strongly illuminated BASF plant in Ludwigshafen is 20 km behind the silhouette of the castle .
Events
The castle courtyard has been the venue for the Neuleininger castle summer since 2004 . Open-air concerts are held there on five Saturdays between June and August .
In 2007 the castle wine festival took place for the first time in the castle walls , which is organized by the local winegrowers and has taken place annually since then.
literature
- Paul Münch: The Countess Eva vun Neileininge . (Palatinate dialect poem).
- Hans Heiberger: Neuleiningen . History of a mountain fortress. Ed .: Neuleiningen community. Heidelberg publishing house and printing company, 1979.
- Alexander Thon (Ed.): "How swallows' nests glued to the rocks ..." - Castles in the North Palatinate . 1st edition. Verlag Schnell and Steiner, Regensburg 2005, ISBN 3-7954-1674-4 , p. 116-121 .
- Stefan Ulrich: Neuleiningen Castle . Your building history taking into account the city fortifications. 1st edition. Foundation for the Promotion of Palatine Historical Research, Neustadt an der Weinstrasse 2005, ISBN 978-3-9808304-8-5 .
Web links
- Burgenwelt: Neuleiningen Castle (information)
- Neuleiningen community: On the history of Neuleiningen
- Palzpix: Neuleiningen (pictures)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Map service of the landscape information system of the Rhineland-Palatinate nature conservation administration (LANIS map) ( notes )
- ↑ GeoViewer of the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Raw Materials ( information )
- ↑ Paul Münch: The Countess Eva vun Neileininge. Retrieved December 12, 2011 (dialect poem).
- ↑ Castle information system BINSY: shooting attempt with bow and arrow at Neuleiningen Castle. July 10, 2011, accessed on December 12, 2011 (functionality test of the slot slits).
- ↑ Hans Heiberger: The end of the Counts of Leiningen Westerburg , Klaus Dinges publishing house, Grünstadt, 2000, ISBN 3-9806596-1-5 , p. 52 u. 53
- ↑ https://www.burg-weinfest.de/