Scharfenstein Castle (Black Forest)

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Scharfenstein Castle
Main rock with small remains of the core castle.

Main rock with small remains of the core castle.

Alternative name (s): castrum Scharphenstein
Creation time : around 1200
Castle type : Hilltop castle
Conservation status: Wall remains
Standing position : Nobles
Construction: Small cuboid made of porphyry
Place: Münstertal -Obermünstertal
Geographical location 47 ° 52 '0.5 "  N , 7 ° 51' 15.5"  E Coordinates: 47 ° 52 '0.5 "  N , 7 ° 51' 15.5"  E
Height: 922  m above sea level NN
Scharfenstein Castle (Baden-Württemberg)
Scharfenstein Castle

The Scharfenstein Castle is the ruins of a hilltop castle on an imposing rock group in the rear Munster in the district Obermünstertal the municipality Munster in Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald in Baden-Württemberg .

history

In 1267 the castle is mentioned for the first time as "castrum Scharphenstein" owned by the rule of Staufen. Readings on the castle site suggest that the complex began around 1200. Initially in a forged document from 1211, the Lords of Staufen have been reliably documented in writing as bailiffs and court lords of the St. Trudpert Monastery in the Münstertal since 1218. To consolidate their rule, in the course of the development of the city of Staufen and the mining town of Münster , Scharfenstein Castle and Staufen Castle were built at the entrances to the eastern and western Münstertal. Strategically located on the mule track into the Wiesental , it served to protect the surrounding silver ore mines. Probable financial embarrassment of the Lords of Staufen forced them to sell a quarter of the bailiff's rights and the Scharfenstein Castle to the St. Trudpert Monastery in 1325. In 1330 further partial rights were sold to the House of Habsburg and the city of Freiburg . In the dispute between these forces, especially between the monastery rulers of St. Trudpert and the citizens of Freiburg, over unredeemed pledges and property rights, in particular over the exercise of mountain sovereignty and the associated tangible financial interests in the abundant silver ore deposits in the Münstertal, but also because of the taking advantage of the Falsification of documents and ransom demands for kidnapped merchants, a military conflict broke out in 1346. Armed men from Freiburg, advancing across the Schauinsland, destroyed Scharfenstein Castle and devastated the mining town of Münster, which is fortified with walls and towers. The castle complex was not restored afterwards. In 1480 it was named as a castle stable owned by the St. Trudpert Monastery.

investment

Corner pillar-like smoothing of the rock on the Westfels

The former castle complex at 922  m above sea level. NN extended over three rocks with a main castle on the rock plateau in the east. Your access is likely to be identical to today's entrance path. Fortified by the remains of a retaining wall, it runs in a long serpentine loop along the north flank to the castle site. Below the main plateau, the footpath reaches an elongated rock terrace that extends to the northeast side of the castle rock and was probably laid out as a forework or lower castle with a castle courtyard. On the north side of it remained an approximately 7.5 m long and up to 1.2 m high wall remnant made of irregular small cuboids. At its southeastern end, stone steps lead to the large rock plateau of the upper castle. The outer plan of this core castle forms an almost right-angled trapezoid with edge lengths between 35 m in the north and 38 m on the south side, whereby the settlement area was enlarged by a straight overbuilding of a funnel-shaped rock slide. At 13.5 m on the east side, the system reaches its greatest width, which remains roughly constant over a length of around 20 m, but then becomes significantly narrower to 8.5 m on the west side. Here, as on the southern edge, there are still small remains of the wall made of regular small blocks.

Remnants of the wall on the southern edge of the inner castle

What is striking is a fragmentary, preserved wall of relatively regularly hewn and offset porphyry blocks on the northern edge of the inner castle. To the west, a deep, trench-like chasm breaks through the main rock and isolates its significantly smaller rock end, which forms the middle castle rock. No visible traces of settlement can be seen on it. The third, western castle rock is separated by a trench-like depression. The remains of a square tower with a clear width of about 2.70 m and nearly 1.70 m thick masonry have been preserved here. A few meters below on the southern side of the valley, two corner pillar-like cliffs catch the eye, between which a former 8.5 m wide support wall ran, of which small remains are evidence. Further in a south-westerly direction, the rocky terrain slopes down slightly to the Scharfenstein ridge. A niche-like rock recess, which breaks through about half the length of the ridge, as well as a flattened plateau-like elevation in front of the end of the spur possibly fulfilled the function of a lookout in front. Wooden structures would be conceivable here, but these have not been proven.

literature

Web links

Commons : Burg Scharfenstein (Black Forest)  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files