Kallmünz castle ruins

Kallmünz castle ruins
Kallmünz castle ruins - view of the castle hill from the southeast
Creation time :	around 900
Castle type :	Höhenburg, spur location
Conservation status:	Keep, hall, extensive remains of walls
Standing position :	Nobles, Count Palatine
Construction:	Limestone cuboid
Place:	Kallmünz
Geographical location	49 ° 9 '44.7 "  N , 11 ° 57' 7.3"  E Coordinates: 49 ° 9 '44.7 "  N , 11 ° 57' 7.3"  E
Height:	433.2  m above sea level NN

Castle ruins from the air

The Kallmünz castle ruins are the ruins of a hilltop castle at 433.2  m above sea level. NN high mountain spur , the Schlossberg, above the confluence of the Vils and Naab above the market Kallmünz in the Upper Palatinate district of Regensburg in Bavaria .

The castle is one of over 40 castles in the Regensburg region that are networked with each other via the Burgensteige.

history

The ruins of the Spornburg on the Schlossberg with the remains of an extensive prehistoric complex from the Celtic period show a section wall from the early Middle Ages (around 900), the so-called Hungary Wall . He protected a large refuge that served the population of the area as a retreat during the Hungarian invasions . It was first mentioned in 983 in a document from Bishop Wolfgang .

The castle, which is strategically located between Naabtal and Vilstal at the intersection of several old streets , whose builders are not finally clear, secured an imperial customs post which was described as "old" in 1230. In 1271 a Bavarian ministerial named Hugo von Kallmünz is documented; in the house contract of Pavia the castle was first mentioned in 1329 as a property of the Wittelsbach family .

Ludwig the Bavarian pledged the castle to Regensburg in 1344 , later to Thuringia and then to Hesse . A few years later, changing branches of the Wittelsbach family (Pfalz, Oberbayern, Pfalz-Neuburg) came back into the possession of the castle. In 1358 Count Palatine Ruprecht I was allowed to release the castle, and in 1361 he had construction work carried out there. It was not until 1459 that Duke Albrecht III succeeded. , To win back Kallmünz castle and market for Upper Bavaria.

During the Landshut War of Succession , Palatine troops set fire to the castle in 1504. After its reconstruction in the Thirty Years' War , it was plundered by the imperial troops in 1633, and finally destroyed by fire in 1641 by Swedish troops and then served as a quarry. In 1793 the castle came into the ownership of the municipality and has been repeatedly renovated since the end of the 19th century.

Building history and facility

The sickle-shaped section wall (Hungary Wall), dating from around 900, cut off the roughly three hectare rock spur to the north.

About a thousand meters in front of the Spornspitze, a two-phase outer section wall runs over the Hirmesberg, which dates from the Middle Bronze Age around 1600 BC. BC. About a hundred meters in front of the medieval castle complex there was another multi-phase inner wall from the Latène period around 500 BC. BC, which was later built over with the Hungary Wall.

West view of the Bering with the remains of the kennel

The dates of the older high medieval castle buildings vary from 1150 to 1280. The core castle was at the extreme end of the foothills, directly above the steep drop to the Naab and Vils.

The Romanesque architectural decoration of the polygonal two-storey palace with coupled round arched windows, three-part pointed arched windows, two knights' halls and a castle chapel attached to the north, as well as the round 20 meter high keep with a high entrance 8 meters high, a diameter of 9.5 meters and a wall thickness of around 2.3 meters made of limestone ashlar masonry indicate a construction period around 1170 to 1180. Later heightening and remodeling indicate a Gothic construction period.

Construction work that Count Palatine Ruprecht I had carried out in 1351 probably related to the 1.2 meter thick circular wall with its semicircular towers. The late Gothic Zwinger with gatehouse is dated to the 15th century. The ascent to the high entrance of the keep was renewed in 1671 and in 1900 the keep was given a new outer shell, with the castle gate also being provided with a pointed arch.

The castle complex today shows the well-preserved keep, which can be climbed in the summer months on Sundays and public holidays during the opening hours of the castle café under the castle. The castle complex also consists of the mighty walls of the palace and extensive wall remains as well as a remnant of the castle chapel. The Burgplatz is a ground monument .

Current

In autumn 2010 there were plans for increased tourist use: In addition to the paving of the access route for shuttle buses, taxis and rescue vehicles, the construction of a stage with a gabion stand in the castle grounds and a stage with a stand made of lattice or perforated sheet metal in the eastern hall was considered. In addition, a 10 × 10 meter functional building made of wood, a children's playground and paved barbecue and fire places were to be built. However, the plans were not without controversy and would have changed the character of the castle significantly. The referendum hands away from the castle! , already referred to in the press as "Burg 21", collected 570 valid signatures instead of the necessary 231 votes (i.e. around 25% of those entitled to vote) within just 12 days. Thereupon the mayor and the municipal council unanimously agreed to the vote of the citizens. The topic has now been put on hold for a year. The mean time can be used for alternative planning.

At a citizens' meeting at the end of February 2013, new plans were presented that concern the Schlossberg, the path to the castle and the castle itself. According to this plan, the path to the castle should be completely milled and re-paved. This would result in the destruction of a monument that is thousands of years old. As a result, the Bergverein Kallmünz was re-established with the aim of modifying this planning. The association was first founded in 1885.

literature

• Andreas Boos : Castles in the south of the Upper Palatinate - the early and high medieval fortifications of the Regensburg area . Universitätsverlag Regensburg, Regensburg 1998, ISBN 3-930480-03-4 , pp. 216-224.
• Ursula Pfistermeister: Castles of the Upper Palatinate . Verlag Friedrich Pustet, Regensburg 1974, ISBN 3-7917-0394-3 , p. 88.
• Silvia Condreanu-Windauer, Uta Kirpal, Andreas Boos, u. a .: Guide to archaeological monuments in Germany, Volume 44: Amberg and the land an Naab and Vils . Konrad Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8062-1877-3 , pp. 129-134.

Web links

Commons : Burgruine Kallmünz  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Kallmünz castle ruins on the "House of Bavarian History" page
• Kallmünz castle ruins at burgseite.de
• Bergverein Kallmünz
• Kallmünz currently

References and comments

1. ^ Regensburger Wochenblatt of December 8, 2010, p. 3
2. ↑ Further information in the Internet forum Archived copy ( Memento of the original from April 22, 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. , In the spotlight