Stein Castle (Saxony)

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Stein Castle
Castle and Schloss Stein, south view

Castle and Schloss Stein, south view

Alternative name (s): Stein Castle
Creation time : around 1200
Castle type : Niederungsburg
Conservation status: received or received substantial parts
Place: Hartenstein
Geographical location 50 ° 39 '6 "  N , 12 ° 39' 42"  E Coordinates: 50 ° 39 '6 "  N , 12 ° 39' 42"  E
Stein Castle (Saxony)
Stein Castle

The stone castle , also Schloss Stein called, is located southeast of Zwickau in Hartensteiner district stone on the rocky banks of the river Mulde in Saxony .

location

There is a weir in the hollow just above the Niederungsburg . The dammed river drove a mill with four large water wheels. The compulsory meal passed from an older mill to this mill in 1788. Due to the existing compulsory meal, several mill routes led to Stein. The ruins of the Isenburg are only two kilometers upstream. In the direction of Langenbach there were once the villages of Ober- and Niederopritz , which belonged to Stein Castle and were probably destroyed during the Hussite Wars .

Stein Castle, aerial photo (2018)

history

The settlement of the Ore Mountains began in the 12th and 13th centuries. Century, especially along the rivers. River crossings and branches were covered by fortified structures. Numerous castles were also built along the Zwickauer Mulde. The forerunners of the old Stein Castle are located on the steep northern bank of the Zwickauer Mulde above the train station.

At the castle there used to be a ford , later a ferry and various wooden and stone bridges, some of which are shown covered in old pictures. Bridge tolls were still levied until 1924. A modern steel arch bridge was blown up by the SS in 1945 , and a concrete bridge has stood here since 1950.

Structural systems

Oberburg

The upper castle around 1200, seen from the north (to the right of the keep was the Gothic chapel until 1886)

The construction of the upper castle probably began around 1200 on a rock made of hornblende directly on the far south bank of the Mulde. The fortification probably also served as a preliminary fortification ( Vorwerk ) to the nearby Hartenstein Castle .

Today, this oldest portion forms the Obernburg, consisting of a round, about 50 meters high keep with high input at half the height, the Palas with a steep roof and defense walls. The palace was built on a strong round bastion, which probably covered the gate of the Niederburg. The architecture still has Romanesque features. An old spiral staircase made of roughly hewn fir planks connects the floors of the palace. Also noteworthy is a strong oak door that has been preserved with chip carvings from the end of the 15th century to the beginning of the 16th century. The Gothic castle chapel stood under the keep, which was demolished in 1886 due to the poor state of construction. The keep of the upper castle was supplemented in the 16th century by a structure with a gable wreath, which was crowned with a baroque dome in the 18th century. Four small gables with keel - arched roofs are in front of this Renaissance tower tower with a baroque dome . Inside the keep is said to be a dungeon carved into the rock .

Lower castle

The other components are younger. The pointed round tower of the lower castle, in the southwest of the upper castle, was possibly built in the 14th century, the other parts of the lower castle (lower castle) at the end of the 15th century. The southwest corner tower with a high, conical roof is 32 meters high and was previously crowned with battlements. Originally, the three wings of the lower castle, together with the upper castle, should have enclosed an almost square courtyard. The wing (16th century) of the lower castle, lying parallel to the hollow in the south, was twice as long as it is today. Old views of the lower castle ("Schloss Stein", in: Saxonia, 1835) still show a tower in the courtyard, probably in the corner between the east wing and the south wing with a high, pointed conical roof. This tower no longer exists today.

Former moats and ramparts

"Stein von Westen Castle" (1859), with the moats and walls that can still be seen on the west and north sides; right: Vorwerk building

The upper castle, situated on a rock, and later also the lower castle, were only protected on the south side by the Zwickauer Mulde as a natural water hazard. For this reason, water-filled trenches and earth walls were already dug around the entire complex in the Middle Ages. The castle was practically a moated castle. Later the trenches and ramparts were apparently leveled. Old views give an idea of ​​the original condition.

Today's road around the castle probably runs on a former wall.

The lost foreworks of the castle

To the west of the gate of the lower castle was an outwork that no longer exists today. It can still be seen in the old illustration of the castle on a Schönburg family tree (around 1760). It was canceled around 1850. It consisted of several farm buildings: a hunter's house, a sheep farm and a bone mill. The bridge, which is still in front of the gate of the lower castle, once connected the lower castle with the Vorwerk. In the picture mentioned, there is a low round tower with a baroque hood and lantern on it at the corner of the Vorwerk. This is followed by a wall with an archway.

The defunct chapel of the upper castle

Chapel next to the keep in 1859

Old views of the castle show a castle chapel directly to the west of the keep on the rock of the upper castle. It was a late Gothic single-nave building with a large ogival window with tracery panels. It burned down in 1844 and was then probably only poorly repaired, as it was demolished in 1886 due to its dilapidation. Around 1981 there were still small remains of the chapel in the "castle garden" of the upper castle on the rock next to the keep. On the historical view, which still shows the former outwork of the castle (in front of the outer bailey), a second slimmer tower with a Welscher dome is visible next to the keep. This tower was presumably a stair tower that led from the castle courtyard to the level of the rock with the upper castle, castle garden and chapel. In 2019, no remains of this tower were visible.

Feudal bearer

The castle was first mentioned in a document in 1233; like the entire county of Hartenstein , it was under the sovereignty of the Burgraves of Meißen . Knight Heidenreich von Grünhain , who also called himself Heidenreich von Stein ( Heidenricus miles de lapide , where lapide stands for rock castle ) was the first known owner and member of a lesser knight family. He was probably a tenant of the Meinheringer. The farming villages of Langenbach and Wildbach were compulsory .

From 1305 to 1350, the Zwickau patrician family "Egerer" was the owner of the castle. In 1372 the Bohemian Crown confirmed the ownership of the castle to the Wettins . The lords of the castle of the 14th century were notorious as robber barons, namely a Conradus de lapide is accused of numerous crimes in a document from 1320.

In 1388 Hans von Kaufungen was seated at Stein Castle. From 1402 to 1406 Hans von Tettau is the owner. In 1406 the Schönburgers received the castles Stein and Hartenstein as a pledge from the Burgraves of Meißen from the Meinheringer family . Later they both became permanent property of the Schönburger, as the pledge was not released.

From 1406 onwards, the Schönburgers or their feudal recipients were in possession of Stein Castle. In 1411 "Heinz von Remse the Elder" became the tenant of the Schönburg owner of the castle. From 1450 to 1632 the von Trützschler family members sit at Stein Castle. They have the lower castle built.

The most famous story is about Kunz von Kaufungen and the robbery of the Saxon prince in 1455: Kunz is described as a meritorious and just knight. However , he felt that his master, Elector Friedrich the Meek , had treated him unfairly and was looking for reparations. He then kidnapped the elector's sons, Princes Ernst and Albrecht, with the help of two accomplices. Prince Ernst was hidden in the nearby Prinzenhöhle , which is named after him . Knight Kunz was caught and beheaded on July 14, 1455 in Freiberg .

The lower castle (end of the 15th century) on the banks of the Mulde, with the upper castle above it on a narrow rock ridge

At the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th century, the more accessible lower castle was built on the river bank. The gateway to the castle courtyard is in the west wing, which reaches up to the cliffs of the upper castle. This is followed by the south wing facing the hollow. The round tower placed on the corner with its pointed conical roof towers over the roofs and gables of the lower castle area. This was followed by a battlement that reached into the cliffs of the upper castle. The farm buildings of the castle courtyard also leaned against this.

In 1525 - at the time of the Peasants' War - the castle was besieged by their fron farmers. The peasants took advantage of the absence of their serf Ernst II von Schönburg . However, when he returned with his force from the battle of Frankenhausen, the siege came to an abrupt end. The peasants were severely punished and many were executed. The Schönburgers had lent the castle to noble lords , but in 1632 it reverted to the feudal lenders.

With the death of Otto Ludwig von Schönburg-Hartenstein (* 1643) in 1701 and the inheritance contract of his four sons entitled to inheritance in 1702, the Stein rule was formed, with Stein Castle as the center of power. In 1740, the Saxon elector concluded a recession with the Schönburgers , which resulted in the renunciation of the autonomy rights of the lords of Waldenburg, Glauchau, Lichtenstein, Hartenstein and Stein resulting from the imperial immediacy . In the following years, the areas were gradually integrated into the Saxon Electoral State. With the spin-off of the Stein rule from the Hartenstein county , the castle became the independent seat of the Stein office in 1701/1702. Because the castle barely met the requirements of a baroque residence, Ludwig Friedrich Graf von Schönburg-Stein (1681–1736) had a new baroque (no longer existing) mansion, Rüsdorf Castle, built in Rüsdorf near Lichtenstein (Saxony) . In 1762 a major fire destroyed the Niederburg Stein, which was partially rebuilt in 1798, the hall on the second floor received a classicist painting; a renovation took place in 1846.

In 1813, Prince Otto Victor I von Schönburg ceded the Stein and Hartenstein dominions in a comparison with his three brothers who were born later and kept the economically more lucrative dominions of Lichtenstein , Remse and Waldenburg . Since two of the brothers died childless in 1840 and 1846, Otto Victor became co-owner of the two lordships given up in 1813 again . He was followed in 1859 by his son, Prince Otto Friedrich von Schönburg-Waldenburg .

The rule stone

The red renaissance wing of the lower castle, left: Palas of the upper castle on a round bastion

With the spin-off of the Stein rule from the Hartenstein county, the castle became the seat of the manor in 1701/1702. The following places belonged to the Stein rule:

In 1740 the Wettins concluded a recession with the Counts of Schönburg, through which the Schönburgers had to recognize the sovereignty of the Saxon ruling house over the domains of Waldenburg, Glauchau, Lichtenstein, Hartenstein (the lower county) and Stein, which had been imperial until then. The five Rezessherrschaft remained under Schönburg sovereignty until 1878. After that they were fully integrated into the Kingdom of Saxony . The lordship of Stein and the lower county of Hartenstein (without the judicial district of Lößnitz ) came to the Zwickau administration .

Younger story

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

The castle was owned by the princes of Schönburg-Waldenburg until it was expropriated as part of the socialist land reform in 1945 . The last landlord until 1945 was Günther Fürst von Schönburg-Waldenburg (1887–1960), who however resided in Waldenburg and also owned Lichtenstein , Belgershain and Pomßen Castle.

While the nearby Hartenstein Castle was almost completely destroyed by bombs from American low-flying aircraft on April 20, 1945, Stein Castle was preserved intact. Since 1954 the property has housed a castle and local history museum. A rest home was set up in the newer part of the Niederburg during the GDR era.

After the reunification of Germany , Alfred Prince von Schönburg-Hartenstein (* 1953) acquired parts of the former family property of the Hartensteiner Line (who had lived mainly in Vienna and Bohemia since the beginning of the 19th century) with the Poppenwald from the city of Hartenstein and left them Extensively renovate the Stein Castle acquired for this purpose. The premises of the castle museum are still open to the public during opening hours.

Current usage

Lower castle

The lower castle houses the forest administration and private living quarters of the royal family, while the ballroom and the Gothic tower vault (in the corner tower of the lower castle) are available for concerts, weddings and events.

Oberburg (museum)

The Romanesque upper castle serves as the castle and local history museum for the city of Hartenstein. It is also dedicated to the work of the poet Paul Fleming . The keep cannot be visited.

Former weapon collection of the Schönburgers

Firearms exhibition in the upper castle

In the museum in the upper castle of Stein Castle, cutting weapons and firearms are exhibited. Originally there was a larger Schoenburg weapon collection here. During the GDR era, weapons hidden in the castle are said to have been found by private individuals and initially stolen. These weapons were probably hidden by the Schönburg family in 1945.

Apparently because of this theft, the majority of this weapons collection came to the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Historical Museum) during the GDR era .

Figure of the court jester Streitenberger

Weapons and wooden figure of the court jester Streitenberger in the upper castle's palas

Under Otto Ludwig von Schönburg-Hartenstein (1643–1701) a dwarf court jester named Streitenberger served at Hartenstein Castle . During his lifetime he was so popular as "Cuff Hans" that after his death a life-size wooden figure was made of him. This figure is now in the castle museum of Stein Castle. It is assumed that Mr. Streitenberger came from Bohemia. The claim that he served at Stein Castle and was the last court jester here is probably wrong.

Siege castle "Ur-Stein"

To the north-west of Stein Castle - above the Hartenstein train station on the mountain slope - are the remains of another well recognizable medieval fortification with a round elevation (diameter approx. 30 m), inner moat (10 m to 12 m wide, 2 m deep), wall ( approx. 5 m to 8 m wide) and outer trench. On the steep slope to the south-southwest, the trenches do not lead through to the same depth and width. In older literature, the complex was mostly classified as a tower hill castle and a predecessor of Stein Castle and therefore called “Ur-Stein” in some literature. However, recent research has shown that it is the remains of a medieval siege castle . On old maps, the mountain with the ring wall system is also called "Türmelberg".

literature

  • Collective of nature and homeland friends: Stein Castle near Hartenstein and its surroundings , Hartenstein 1974
  • Museum Burg Stein (Ed.): The Stein Castle near Hartenstein and its surroundings , Schneeberg 1993
  • Matthias Donath : Burgen & Schlösser in Sachsen , Petersberg 2012, ISBN 978-3-86568-768-5 , pp. 74f.
  • Wolf-Dieter Röber : Burg Stein , In: Schriftenreihe Heft 3, Museum und Kunstsammlung Schloß Hinterglauchau, City of Glauchau, 1981, GDR, pp. 23-25, illustration on a Schoenburg family tree around 1760 on p. 40 (on the history and building history of Castle stone)
  • Emil Wilke: Guide through Stein Castle, Waldenburg 1932
  • Anton Bär: Castle and civil status Stein an der westl. Mulde, In: Glückauf, magazine of the Erzgebirgs-Verein, 21. Jg., 1901
  • Wolf-Dieter Röber: (Burg) Stein In: Author collective, u. a. Helmut Bräuer , Robby Joachim Götze , Steffen Winkler and Wolf-Dieter Röber: The Schönburger, economy, politics, culture. Brochure for the special exhibition of the same name 1990–1991. Museum and Art Collection Schloss Hinterglauchau, Glauchau 1990, pp. 29–31

Web links

Commons : Burg Stein  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikisource: Stone in the Topographia Superioris Saxoniae (Matthäus Merian)  - Sources and full texts
Wikisource: Manors and castles in the Kingdom of Saxony: Stein Castle  - sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Wolf-Dieter Röber: Castle stone . In: Series 3, Museum and Art Collection, Schloss Hinterglauchau, City of Glauchau, 1981, GDR, p. 23
  2. ^ Wolf-Dieter Röber: Castle stone . In: Series 3, Museum and Art Collection, Schloss Hinterglauchau, City of Glauchau, 1981, GDR, on the moat p. 23
  3. ^ Wolf-Dieter Röber: Castle stone . In: Series of publications Heft 3, Museum and Art Collection, Schloss Hinterglauchau, City of Glauchau, 1981, GDR, pp. 23-25, illustration on a Schönburg family tree around 1760 on p. 40
  4. ↑ Wolf-Dieter Röber: The chapel in Hinterglauchau Castle . In: Series of publications, issue 10, Museum and Art Collection Schloss Hinterglauchau, Glauchau, 1994, pp. 8–15 (remarks on the history of the castle chapel of the upper castle of Burg Stein, p. 8)
  5. ↑ Wolf-Dieter Röber: subchapter Stein Castle . In: Series 3, Museum and Art Collection Schloss Hinterglauchau, Glauchau, 1981, p. 24
  6. ↑ Wolf-Dieter Röber: subchapter Stein Castle . In: Series of publications, Issue 3, Museum and Art Collection Schloss Hinterglauchau, Glauchau, 1981, p. 40: Illustration of Castle Stein on a Schönburg family tree around 1760 (Schönburg family tree around 1760, owned by the Museum Schloss Hinterglauchau )
  7. ↑ Wolf-Dieter Röber: subchapter Stein Castle . In: Series 3, Museum and Art Collection Schloss Hinterglauchau, Glauchau, 1981, p. 24
  8. ↑ Wolf-Dieter Röber: subchapter Stein Castle . In: Series 3, Museum and Art Collection Schloss Hinterglauchau, Glauchau, 1981, p. 24
  9. ^ Saxon Biography, Günther Fürst von Schönburg
  10. ↑ Stein Castle - History. In: burg-stein.de. Retrieved May 5, 2020 .
  11. ^ Author collective: Die Schönburger, Wirtschaft, Politik, Kultur. Brochure for the special exhibition of the same name 1990–91 in the museum and art collection Schloss Hinterglauchau, Glauchau 1990, chap. Art / subchapter "Weapons" p. 95 (Wolf-Dieter Röber).
  12. ↑ Wolf-Dieter Röber, Steffen Winkler: Schlösser Ford- und Hinterglauchau , In: Schriftenreihe Heft 6, Museum und Kunstsammlung Schloss Hinterglauchau, Glauchau, 1986, p. 8 (comments on court jesters of the Schönburgers), p. 9 (comments on the illustration on P. 12, court jester Streitenberger of Schloss Hartenstein), p. 12 (illustration of Streitenberger's wooden figure, Museum Burg Stein)