Ranis Castle

Ranis Castle
	Ranis Castle
Creation time :	1000 to 1100
Castle type :	Hilltop castle
Conservation status:	Receive
Standing position :	Counts, nobles
Place:	Ranis
Geographical location	50 ° 39 '45 " N , 11 ° 33' 50" E Coordinates: 50 ° 39 '45 " N , 11 ° 33' 50" E

Ranis Castle above the old town with the town church of St. Margarethen

Postage stamp of the German Post of the GDR from the series Castles

The Ranis is located on a ridge in the Thuringian town Ranis far from Pößneck .

Ranis Castle from a bird's eye view (June 2011)

construction

The hilltop castle consists of a small main castle in the west that surrounds the small castle courtyard, a round 38 meter high keep , the south wing that is characteristic today and two spacious bailey . The preserved outer bailey building separates the large courtyard adjoining the main castle to the east and the outer bailey area. This used to house the farm buildings and offers an arched tunnel down to the old town. The outer bailey building and the wall serving as a fortification to the east were each protected by a kennel with a ditch in front and an associated drawbridge . The castle complex dates back to the 12th century. The main features still recognizable today date from the 13th and 14th centuries, but their appearance is shaped by the extensions from the beginning of the 17th century in the style of the late Saxon Renaissance . At that time the castle was by the construction of the south wing with its characteristic gabled bays into a representative castle rebuilt.

history

Fortifications have been on the castle hill since the 11th century. In 1084, Emperor Heinrich IV. Enfeoffed Wiprecht von Groitzsch , the later Margrave of Meissen and Lusatia , with the Castrum Ranis - the first documentary mention. In 1199 the castle is named as the seat of imperial ministries, which are directly subordinate to the king. As an imperial property , the castle played an important role in the Saalegau as a border fortress against the Slavs . Emperor Otto IV pledged Ranis Castle and the territory around Saalfeld to the Counts of Schwarzburg . In 1220 Emperor Friedrich II enfeoffed the Schwarzburger with the castle. In the 13th and 14th centuries Ranis remained in the possession of the Counts of Kevernburg and Schwarzburg.

In 1389 the Schwarzburgers sold the castle to the Wettins . 1463 bequeathed Wilhelm III. the castle in honor of his wife Katharina von Brandenstein to her brother Heinrich von Brandenstein. Due to over-indebtedness, the von Brandenstein family sold the castle to the von Breitenbauch family in 1571. Among these, the city of Ranis and the district of Ziegenrück became Prussian in 1815. In 1906 they changed their name to Breitenbuch . In 1942 the von Breitenbuch family sold the castle to the German Red Cross . It has been part of the Thuringian Palaces and Gardens Foundation since 1994 .

Around 8.5 million euros have been invested up to 2017. The largest project was the renovation of the south wing , which was completed in 2008 as part of funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) .

Facilities at the castle

The castle museum was founded in 1926 by the then owner of the castle, Dietrich von Breitenbuch , and after the Second World War it was re-established as a local museum by the city of Ranis in 1956 . In addition to the history of the castle and the region, it provides information about the Ilsen cave located directly below the castle as well as the geology , seismology and the prehistory and early history of the region. In April 2014, the museum was included in the Red List of Culture of the German Cultural Council and classified in Category 1 ( threatened with closure ) after the city council cut funding and decided to close it from November 1, 2014, if none other operator should be found. The Free State of Thuringia then announced that it would initially provide the Saale-Orla district with up to 50,000 euros annually from 2015 to 2017 so that the museum can be kept running. In addition, a sustainable financing concept is to be developed and the exhibition is to be modernized.

In 1928, the Breitenbuchs established an inn at the castle, which is no longer in operation today. The restaurant and museum were attempts to raise part of the maintenance costs for the operation of the facility.

Around 1940 there was a bear kennel at the castle.

Since 1997 the Thuringian Literature and Author Days have been held annually at the castle , organized by the Jenaer Reading Signs Association . Guests were u. a .: Katharina Thalbach , Sven Regener , Denis Scheck , Andrea Sawatzki , Iris Berben , Heinz-Rudolf Kunze , Thomas Thieme , Sasa Stanisic , Nora Gomringer , Ann Cotten , José Oliver , Thomas Kunst .