Philippstein Castle

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Philippstein Castle
Philippstein Castle-02.jpg
Creation time : 1390
Castle type : Höhenburg, Spornburg
Conservation status: Keep, remains of Bering and Palas
Standing position : Count
Place: Braunfels -Philippstein
Geographical location 50 ° 29 '22 .6 "  N , 8 ° 22' 49.1"  E Coordinates: 50 ° 29 '22 .6 "  N , 8 ° 22' 49.1"  E
Philippstein Castle (Hesse)
Philippstein Castle

Philippstein Castle is the ruin of a small spur castle above Philippstein , which today belongs to the city of Braunfels , in the Lahn-Dill district in Hesse .

location

The ruins of the Spornburg are about 35 meters above the village of the same name on the castle hill , about 280  m above sea level. NHN high mountain spur above the valley of the Möttbach. The village and the castle in the Taunus are about 12 kilometers as the crow flies southwest of Wetzlar , 25 kilometers northeast of Limburg and 47 kilometers northwest of Frankfurt am Main .

history

The castle was built in 1390 by Count Philip I of Nassau-Weilburg. It served primarily to secure its territory and the mining mines. In the 16th century at the latest, the castle lost its strategic importance and continued to fall into disrepair after the last administrator left. In the 19th century, the ruins were used by the villagers as a quarry , so that large parts were removed and the stones were inserted into newly constructed buildings.

Even the keep was not spared. Stones were also removed from the lower area so that it looked like a tree trunk gnawed by beavers and was in danger of collapsing.

investment

Philippstein Castle

The keep of the castle is on the western edge of the ruin at its deepest point, which is a special feature in terms of castle construction. Remnants of the shield wall adjoin the keep . Further remains of the wall on the mountain slope could come from a palas , although this has not been clarified properly.

Today the ruin is freely accessible again. The approximately 20 meter high keep is now secured and can be climbed. Today it has a roof made of a wooden structure and covered with slate.

Last but not least, a local civic association has made a contribution to preserving the ruin since 1976.

The foundation walls of other castle buildings have also been excavated and secured in the meantime.

literature

  • Rudolf Knappe: Medieval castles in Hessen. 800 castles, castle ruins and fortifications. 3. Edition. Wartberg-Verlag, Gudensberg-Gleichen 2000, ISBN 3-86134-228-6 , p. 433.
  • Rolf Müller (Ed.): Palaces, castles, old walls. Published by the Hessendienst der Staatskanzlei, Wiesbaden 1990, ISBN 3-89214-017-0 , p. 61.

Web links

Commons : Philippstein Castle  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Map services of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation ( information ) - for height information , see contour line