Castle history trail in Haßberge
The castle history trail in the Haßberge district is a 40-kilometer hiking or cycling trail in the Haßberge Nature Park ( Lower Franconia ). The circular route leads to a total of eight castles , castle ruins and castle stables , which are explained by display boards.
The educational trail
The territories of the two large Franconian dioceses of Bamberg and Würzburg met in the Haßberg Mountains . Both monasteries tried to secure their areas of influence through numerous castles and fortified cities. The Würzburg bishops, in particular, did not shy away from false accusations in order to bring the castles and lands of their spiritual competitors under control. The administration and military security of these properties was transferred to servants ( ministerials ), or the former noble families submitted to the suzerainty of the bishops. For these reasons, the Haßberge are among the regions in Germany with the most castles and palaces. In addition to the fortifications on the nature trail, there are over 40 other testimonies to the former aristocratic culture.
The facility of the circular route is u. a. on the deliberate neglect of the Bavarian castles and castle ruins by the state preservation of monuments . Similar to the numerous archaeological monuments , these objects should be "hidden" from the public in order to be able to protect them better. This "momentous policy of passive monument preservation" ( Joachim Zeune ) led to serious damage to the monuments. The castles and especially the ruins were "reused" by numerous esoteric groups. Satanists celebrated black masses in the walls, robbery graves and vandals impaired the substance.
The district of Haßberge therefore began in 1994 with the implementation of a concept to protect its monuments. As a scientifically designed hiking trail, the castle history trail was intended to draw the interested public's attention to the endangered monuments and thus enable better monitoring of the castles.
Around 2000 a process of rethinking began in the state preservation of monuments. The establishment of a comprehensive online directory of local land and architectural monuments (BayernViewer memorial) began. The abandonment of the “politics of hiding” enabled funds to be released for the renovation or emergency protection of threatened castle ruins such as Rauheneck Castle.
The castle history trail was realized in cooperation with the office for castle research of the medieval archaeologist Joachim Zeune, which was also significantly involved in the restoration of the castle ruins Altenstein and Lichtenstein.
In addition to the objects on the nature trail, the neighboring castles in Königsberg , Schmachtenberg , Wallburg , Dippach and Brennhausen offer further insights into the development of medieval fortifications in the Haßberge. Extensive remains of strong city fortifications have been preserved in Ebern, Seßlach ( Coburg district ) and Zeil am Main .
The educational trail
- The beginning and end of the circular route is the large double castle Lichtenstein above Pfarrweisach . In addition to the north castle, which is still inhabited, the south castle has been preserved as a ruin (can be viewed at the weekend for an entrance fee). Below the castle, numerous Rhaetian sandstone rocks form an extensive labyrinth, which has been made accessible by a circular hiking trail.
- About 500 meters away, a horseshoe-shaped sandstone formation was built into the castle in the High Middle Ages. The Felsburgstall Teufelsstein is usually interpreted as the predecessor of the nearby Lichtenstein Castle.
- Below in the valley, on the edge of a hamlet, lies the Dürrnhof castle stable in the village of the same name, Dürrnhof . The name Burgstall is misleading here, however, as a walled weir storage facility was located here on a small island in the pond until the 19th century . This granary belonged to a slightly fortified courtyard on which a branch of the Lords of Lichtenstein sat. Today the tower-like storage building has completely disappeared, but the structure is well documented by a drawing by Ludwig Richter .
- Shortly before Ebern , above the district of Eyrichshof , five mighty boulders form the substructure of the former Rotenhan Castle . The castle ruins, haunted by esotericism , are one of the few real rock castles in Bavaria. The inclusion of the soft Rhätsandstein in the castle construction goes even further here than with the Teufelsstein , here the gate system was even completely carved out of the rock.
- Five kilometers to the west lies the Rauheneck castle ruin (which is in danger of collapsing), lonely in the forest on the "hood" above Vorbach. The high medieval core castle was presented with impressive kennels in the 15th century . In July 2006, the district began to secure the former Würzburg official castle. The ruin, which was closed until then, has since been opened for viewing again.
- The westernmost station of the circular route is the Randhausburg Bramberg , which dominates a 494 meter high former volcanic cone. The facility was secured about 30 years ago by the Ebern Forestry Office. Two abandoned basalt quarries on the side of the road provide insights into the volcanic past of the Bramberges, which is part of the Heldburg gang .
- The last stop is the huge Altenstein castle ruins , which have been renovated in the last few years , from which you can return to Lichtenstein on the ridge. The Burgplatz also provides a comprehensive overview of the Haßberge . A little off the path there is a rampart ( Alte Burg (Altenstein) ) and a castle stables ( Alte Burg (Hafenpreppach) ) next to each other in the forest, but they are not included in the nature trail.
All objects on the circuit were equipped with information boards that explain the history and architecture of the objects. The castles Altenstein (during the day), Bramberg , Rotenhan and Teufelsstein are freely accessible, but the Lichtenstein castle ruins were fenced in due to increasing vandalism by esotericists (knocking off "healing stones"). Rauheneck Castle has been open to inspection again since the emergency safety measures began.
literature
- The art monuments of the Kingdom of Bavaria, III, 15. District Office Ebern . Munich 1916 (Reprint: Munich 1983, ISBN 3-486-50469-X )
- Joachim Zeune: Castles in the Eberner Land (Eberner Heimatblätter, 2 booklets). Boars 2003
- Joachim Zeune: Haßberge Castle History Trail - Offensive Monument Protection : In: Joachim Zeune: Castles and Palaces - Bavaria . Regensburg undated, pp. 20-23, ISBN 978-3-930572-57-1
- Joachim Zeune: Symbols of power and transience: Castle history trail Haßberge . Hassfurt 1996