Altenstein Castle (Lower Franconia)

Altenstein Castle
The castle ruins above the village of Altenstein
Creation time :	First mentioned in 1232
Castle type :	Höhenburg, hillside location
Conservation status:	ruin
Place:	Maroldsweisach- Altenstein
Geographical location	50 ° 10 '17.5 "  N , 10 ° 44' 2.9"  E Coordinates: 50 ° 10 '17.5 "  N , 10 ° 44' 2.9"  E
Height:	452  m above sea level NN

The altenstein castle is a ruined castle in the Old Stone (market Maroldsweisach ) in the district of Haßberge in Unterfranken . The ancestral seat of the Barons von Stein zu Altenstein family, which died out in the 19th century, is located about 40 kilometers north of Bamberg and has been in the care of the Haßberge district since the end of the 20th century. The castle complex was renovated around the turn of the millennium and documented for the castle. The castle ruins are no longer freely accessible, there is an entrance fee of four euros.

Geographical location

The ruins of the hilltop castle dominate the village of the same name on a ridge (approx. 452 meters above sea level) of the Haßberge between Ebern and Maroldsweisach. The castle hill rises about 150 meters above the Weisach valley.

In addition to Altenstein Castle, the elongated ridge has several other weir systems. The Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments registered under the monument number D-6-5830-0006. a medieval tower hill south below the castle on the Galgenberg.

About two kilometers south of the ruin, there are two more archaeological monuments hidden in the forest on the eastern slope , the old castle (Altenstein) and the old castle (Hafenpreppach) . Another four kilometers south is the large double castle Lichtenstein on the edge of the valley. The Felsburgstall Teufelsstein , located below Lichtenstein Castle, is believed to be the ancestral home of the two lines of the von Stein family. The remains of Rotenhan Castle , one of the few real rock castles in Germany, have been preserved above the Eyrichshof district of Ebern .

history

Wappenstein (probably 17th century) from the old parish church, now in the vestibule of the new church

Bridge, gate and keep

The northwest section of the fortification

Ruin of the chapel of the Altenstein ruin

The castle was the ancestral seat of the Lords von Stein zu Altenstein . The stones had split into two lines by 1200. The Stein von Lichtenstein sat on Lichtenstein Castle, about five kilometers south on the same ridge . The origin of this family is believed to be on the Teufelsstein , a rock castle stable below Lichtenstein Castle .

The originally noble sex soon had to submit to the feudal sovereignty of the Würzburg bishopric. From the early 14th century the Altensteiners only appeared as Würzburg, occasionally Bamberg vassals , but also owned fiefs from the monasteries of Banz and Langheim .

The castle first appeared indirectly in the written sources in 1225. In a document at that time a "Marquard Magnus de antiquo lapide", that is, a Marquard the Great from or to the old stone is named. Seven years later (1231) the castle was mentioned for the first time directly as a castrum with ecclesia (church).

In the following centuries the complex developed into a typical Ganerbeburg , i. H. the castle was shared by several branches of the family. In 1296 eight families were already living in the fortress above the Weisach valley. As one of the earliest mentions of an inheritance , this tradition is of particular interest for castle lore. A truce treaty from 1441 names ten brothers and cousins ​​from a total of five families, each with their own bower .

The von Altenstein family was able to set up a small domain around the ancestral castle in the 14th and 15th centuries. For this purpose, the scattered ownership ( allod ) of the sex was combined. The elaborate structures that have been preserved still bear witness to the economic success of the lords of the castle at that time.

In 1525 Altenstein was damaged during the Peasants' War . In 1549, Emperor Charles V enfeoffed the Altensteiners with high jurisdiction . The lords of the castle were allowed, by virtue of the law of maleficence, to set up a hive and a place of execution, that is, to execute death sentences according to the Reichsgerichthalsordnung .

In 1567 Wilhelm von Stein zu Altenstein opposed the Würzburg monastery during the Grumbach trade and was therefore judged by the sword on the market square in Gotha . The bishopric withdrew the fiefs from the family. After the castle was again devastated during the Thirty Years' War , the family's economic decline began. In 1634 marauding mercenaries shot Caspar von Stein.

In 1695 Emperor Leopold I elevated Johann Casimir von Stein zu Altenstein to the status of imperial baron . However, this only slightly delayed the family's descent. At that time there were still three branches of the Altenstein, Marbach and Ditterswind family .

The Stein von Altenstein lived in their ancestral castle until 1703, but then moved down into the valley to their newly built castle in Pfaffendorf . In 1670, the bishopric unsuccessfully asked the lords of the castle to restore the complex. As a result, the castle complex fell into its current ruinous condition. In 1768 Christian Adam Ludwig von Stein had to sell the Maroldsweisach manor to Joseph Anton Baron Horneck von Weinheim. As one of the last estates, the castle in Pfaffendorf went to the Barons von Grunelius around 1850.

In 1875, Karl von Stein zum Altenstein, the last offspring of the German branch of the Herren vom Altenstein, died. Finally, in 1895, the system came to the barons of Rotenhan . In 1898 and 1949/50 minor repairs were carried out.

Today the castle ruins are owned and in the care of the Hassberge district (donated in 1972). The district began with the renovation and development of the castle complex in 1999, which was officially completed on the Open Monument Day in 2003.

The most important member of the von Altenstein family is Karl Sigmund Franz Freiherr vom Stein zum Altenstein (1770-1840), who often - also in the official castle guide of 2003 - with his namesake and predecessor Heinrich Friedrich Karl vom und zum Stein , the well-known baron von Stein is confused. However, this Middle Rhine sex has no genealogical connection with the Franconian Stein von Altenstein.

Castle sagas

The historically unreliable castle legend tells of a siege of Altenstein in 1254 by the troops of the Würzburg bishopric. Bishop Iring von Reinstein-Homburg (1254–1265) is said to have taken possession of the fortress by means of a ruse. He offered peace negotiations and received the twelve von Stein brothers individually in a castle room. The knights are said to have been murdered by henchmen standing by. Only the twelfth brother managed to cut off the bishop's nose with his knife. The family almost died out, but a relative named Seyfried was abroad and was able to continue the line.

According to another version, Herdegen, the last brother, was able to save himself to Austria and get by there as a bricklayer . Later he came back into the possession of the family castle and added three mason's hammers to his coat of arms. Another legend leads these hammers back to Mjölnir , the hammer of Donars ( Thor ), the alleged ancestor of the family. A well-preserved coat of arms stone with the hammers is walled into the vestibule of the new parish church, but the relief above the main gate is badly weathered.

Historical background

Despite the lack of documentary and archival evidence, there is also a real core to these legends. During the entire High Middle Ages , the Würzburg diocese tried to seize the castles of the noble free and servants of the neighboring Bamberg diocese. They did not shy away from false accusations either. In the saga of the twelve brothers, highway robbery was also used as a pretext for the siege . In 1168 they obtained the imperial permit to storm the nearby Bramberg Castle . In the case of Rotenhan Castle , an alleged counterfeiter on the rock castle triggered the attack in 1323. The Lords of Rotenhan were servants of the Bamberg Monastery.

It is likely that the von Stein gentlemen did not go into the ministry of the Würzburg diocese of their own free will. On the other hand, such an employment relationship could be very lucrative. Towards the end of the 13th century, the old line of the gentlemen from Altenstein really seems to have expired. The Stein von Ostheim acted as successors. In 1296 a Wolvenius from this family already owned two castle houses on the Altenstein. In this context, seven other families were mentioned as gan heirs. In 1304 Wolvenius officiated as the Würzburg bailiff at Rauheneck Castle near Ebern.

description

Floor plan of the core castle on an information board of the "Castle History Educational Trail"

The Hussite period northeast tower (around 1420/30)

The complex presents itself as one of the largest and most impressive castle ruins in Franconia . In recent times it has been secured and developed in an exemplary manner.

You enter the complex through the gatehouse (17th / 18th century) of the re-inhabited outer bailey . This Vorwerk probably dates back to the 13th century and already protected the entrance to the Romanesque castle complex. The south-eastern parts of the outer bailey are supported by a high lining wall with arches.

A stone bridge (18th century) that spans the approximately 15-meter-wide neck ditch leads to the main gate , which is flanked by two mighty round towers. This gate building is part of the mighty Hussite period kennels (around 1430) in front of the older inner castle. At that time, the main gate was moved to its current location. The original gate on the south side was walled up.

The representative gate entrance, however, dates from around 1567. The Hussite-era gate was a little lower (archaeologically documented in 2002). A thrower guarded the entrance above the passage. A badly preserved coat of arms with the three stone hammers is flanked by squires. The two side round towers each contained three non-arched storeys with T-shaped key notches or T-notches with a lowered foot.

Short curtains with two further round towers adjoin the gate on both sides . The entire kennel facility has already been planned with the use of firearms in mind. Only the eastern part dates from the Hussite period, the western part with its simple corbels is from a renovation around 1567.

Behind the door system are the ruins of the late Roman rises the keep , whose north wall still up to a height of about ten meters is upright. The formerly square main tower had sides of 9.8 meters. Have received only parts of the outer shell of closely staggered hump blocks with narrow edge shock and remains of Füllwerks from feathered displaced stones ( opus spicatum ). The cuboids were moved with the older lifting tool, the wolf , so there are no pliers holes on the front. The high entrance was probably on the south side facing the castle courtyard.

At the foot of the tower, a drainage shaft proves that the original neck ditch was right in front of the keep. The main entrance of the Romanesque castle complex was probably already there near the current entrance ( reconstruction Zeune ), but was later moved to the south side. During the Hussite storms, this new gate was walled up and the preserved double tower gate was built on the mountain side for safety reasons.

Passing the ruins of the Ganerbensitz with their impressive cellars, you reach the castle courtyard with the remains of the palace in the southwest, the castle fountain and the late Gothic castle chapel. The extensive vaulted cellars, some of which are carved into the rock, were largely closed during the renovation ( bat protection ) and are only accessible on special occasions. The cellar under the hall and the above-ground vault of the Ganerbensitz next to the keep are freely accessible.

The castle ruins stand on very unstable ground: the mighty Rhaetian sandstone cliffs slowly slide down the castle hill and have repeatedly led to partial collapses up to the present day. In 1960, for example, three superimposed vaults largely collapsed over the former gate entrance. Two decades later, the wall in the former gate area collapsed. Its lower part with the added gate was preserved. However, after the static security in recent years, the castle should be saved for the next 250 years.

Since 2003, it has been possible to walk around the entire main castle on a circular route and also to visit previously inaccessible components.

The castle is a stop on the castle history trail of the Haßberge district .

Castle chapel

The chapel on the east side, preserved as a ruin, was built from 1438 onwards. The new building became necessary after the Würzburg Bishop Johann II von Brunn had elevated the previous building to the parish church of the village. The church was dedicated to St. Consecrated to Nicholas and the Virgin Mary. As early as 1563, however, the decision was made to build their own parish church on a plateau in front of the castle entrance. This sacred building was demolished in 1922/23 in favor of the preserved neo-Romanesque church from 1910, but is well documented in the inventory volume from 1916.

The chapel consisted of a rectangular nave and a reticulated choir attached to the east . The nave sits on the barrel vault of the former south gate entrance, under the choir there was apparently the crypt of the lords of the castle. The presbytery was built on a somewhat older wall. It is believed to have arisen in the course of strengthening the fortifications during the Hussite incursions and protrudes to the south. The tower-like extension south of the choir has been preserved two storeys high (rear part) and divided by two coffin cornices. Small rectangular window openings formerly exposed the interior of the room on the ground floor, which was spanned by two cross vaults. A high door in the east wall leads to the ledge of the older wall. In front of the tower, the housing of a stair tower can be seen, which was accessible from the nave. A curtain arch portal in the choir wall enabled entry into the extension.

The choir is supported on the outside by stepped buttresses with pointed arched windows in between. The original fish bubble tracery has been preserved in the east window .

The nave and choir are separated by a profiled choir arch. The beginnings of the vaults with their tartsch shields indicate the net vault of the choir. The brickwork of the nave is only preserved on the north side as a plinth, the rest of the substance was changed by improper renovation. Like the rest of the castle complex, the chapel is made of the existing Rhaetian sandstone . The regular cuboids were moved with the wall pliers (pliers holes).

The inventory volume mentions numerous fragments of tombstones in the chapel floor. Around 1980 a few pieces were still on view, but they have either disappeared or been recovered.

The slow slipping of the castle rocks led to a sloping position of the choir walls. However, due to the extensive renovation after 2000, the substance could be secured for a long time.

Geotope

The sandstones on which the castle stands form the summit area of ​​the hilltop and partially slide down the slope on the clay and clay marl stones of the Feuerletten below. Elaborate renovation measures are used to counteract the further deterioration of the ruins. The rocks are designated by the Bavarian State Office for the Environment as Geotope 674A010. See also the list of geotopes in the Haßberge district . The geotope is provided with information boards as part of the Hassberge castle history trail.

literature

• The art monuments of the Kingdom of Bavaria , III, 15, District Office Ebern, pp. 17–24 (Munich, 1916).
• Joachim Zeune: Castles in the Eberner Land . Ebern 2003, Eberner Heimatblätter, 2 booklets.
• Joachim Zeune: Altenstein castle ruins . Regensburg 2003.
• Isolde Maierhöfer: Ebern (Historical Atlas of Bavaria, part of Franconia, issue 15). Munich, 1964.

Web links

Commons : Altenstein Castle  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Altenstein Castle on the homepage of the House of Bavarian History (plans, history, building history, existing buildings)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Entry by the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation ( Memento of the original from December 21, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ↑ Geotope: rocks at the Altenstein castle ruins (accessed on October 14, 2013; PDF; 279 kB)