Castle in the Hayn

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Castle in the Hayn
Remains of the castle in Hayn

Remains of the castle in Hayn

Castle type : Niederungsburg, moth
Conservation status: Ruin, remains of the wall
Standing position : Nobles, counts
Place: Obertshausen
Geographical location 50 ° 4 '5 "  N , 8 ° 51' 14"  E Coordinates: 50 ° 4 '5 "  N , 8 ° 51' 14"  E
Castle in Hayn (Hesse)
Castle in the Hayn

The castle in Hayn is the remainder of a moated castle ( Motte ) south of Obertshausen in the Offenbach district in Hesse .

investment

Castle ruins, the circular structure becomes clear

From the tower hill castle (Motte) only a few stone chunks and wall remains are preserved. However, nothing has been handed down of military destruction. The facility served as a quarry, which gradually removed and destroyed it. The addition “Hayn” (= in the forest) indicates a refuge - a point of retreat. However, the castle was built as a representation and defense facility. For this reason, the addition of Hayn was probably added later, when the castle lost its strategic importance. A documentary mention of the "Burg im Hayn" can be found in the Steinheimer Salbuch from 1576: "Item der Hayn umb die Borgk is 9 tomorrow and comes across Eppstein". Little else is known about the castle in Hayn.

Allegedly, at the end of the 19th century, two residents of Hausen (now part of Obertshausen) found a sketch of the castle in a Frankfurt flea market. The two could not afford the picture and therefore made a copy. A Mainz painter is said to have made a watercolor based on the copy. The truth of the story has not been proven. But the watercolor does exist. It represents a beautiful fairytale castle, but has nothing to do with the historical complex. During excavations in 1964 and 1974, the approximate dimensions of the castle could be determined. It was probably surrounded by an approximately 2.20 meter wide castle wall, in front of which a water-filled moat ran at a distance of one meter . The size of the castle complex was 28 by 31 meters. There was a tower in the middle. The watercolor and sketches of the historic castle can be viewed in the local history museum of the town of Obertshausen.

history

The castle was probably the ancestral seat of the noble family of the Lords of Hausen , who descended from the old Maingaugrafen and were related to the Lords of Hagenhausen (named after Hainhausen , later Lords of Eppstein). Messrs Wigger von Hausen and Gottfried von Hausen are likely to have a connection with the castle. They are handed down in documents from the years 1130 and 1151 and were the owners of the land.

After the Lords of Hausen died out, the castle in Hayn passed to the Lords of Hagenhausen, who were related to them. Udalrich von Hagenhausen donated the castle to Archbishop Adalbert von Mainz in 1124 .

In 1173 sovereign rights over the town of Obertshausen, the neighboring lands and the castle passed to the Lords of Eppstein, who emerged from the Hagenhausen family. In the following centuries the owners changed several times. From 1664 Obertshausen and the castle were owned by the Counts of Schönborn and from 1806 by the Princes of Isenburg-Birstein . In 1816 the Grand Duchy of Hesse became the owner of the village and castle.

Miscellaneous

Coat of arms of Obertshausen until it was merged with Hausen in 1977

The old moated castle was seen in the coat of arms of Obertshausen until 1977. By merging with Hausen, the place received a new coat of arms in which the castle was not depicted. Archaeological excavations were carried out in 1964 and 1974 with moderate success.

literature

  • Holger Göldner / K. Ulrich: Obertshausen, Kr. Offenbach, the tower castle "Burg im Hain" near Obertshausen. In: Guide to archaeological monuments in Germany. Volume 19., Stuttgart 1989, ISBN 3-8062-0585-X , p. 250ff.
  • Jörg Lindenthal: Cultural Discoveries. Archaeological monuments in Hessen. Jenior, Kassel 2004, ISBN 3-934377-73-4 , p. 172f.
  • Werner Klaus: Chronicle of the city of Obertshausen. Obertshausen and Hausen in the flow of time. Obertshausen 1996, p. 61f.

Web links