Maienluft castle ruins
| Maienluft Castle | ||
|---|---|---|
_Wasungen_Bild1.jpg) |
||
| Creation time : | before 1190 | |
| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | Keep, remains of the walls and the chapel | |
| Standing position : | Local nobility | |
| Place: | Wasungen | |
| Geographical location | 50 ° 39 '59.2 " N , 10 ° 22' 17.6" E | |
|
||
The castle Maienluft is a highly medieval castle in Wasungen in Schmalkalden-Meiningen .
history
1150-1274
The predecessor of Maienluft Castle near Wasungen goes back to a hilltop castle from the 12th century, the settlement of which was first mentioned in 1190 as "castrum cum burgo". It is not known whether it is identical to today's hilltop castle. The castle was probably founded before 1150, as the Knights of Wasungen were named as early as 1157 . The last representative of this older Wasung family was Siegfried von Wasungen.
After that, the castle was owned by the younger tribe of the Lords of Wasungen under Gotebold von Wasungen, probably a pop-up line of the Henneberger, which was last documented around 1230. Around 1228, the small lordship of Wasungen was apparently given to the Counts of Henneberg as a fief . They had the castle administered by the nobility Ministeriale , who were also referred to as "von Wasungen" and are documented until 1265. During this time, the castle was expanded and a donjon was added.
1274-1583
Since the main division of Henneberg in 1274, Wasungen, with the castle as the seat of the Zent Wasungen, belonged to the Henneberg-Schleusingen line of counts. The central court was raised to a free imperial district court in 1307. Between 1299 and 1446 the castle can also be proven as the administrative center of the Vogtei or the Wasungen office (with Vogt , gatekeepers, towers and guards). An agricultural operation (" Vorwerk ") was housed in the lower courtyard .
At the beginning of the 14th century, Wasungen, which was originally a Burgmannen settlement, received city rights based on the Schweinfurt model. Around 1500 the castle lost its military function and the fortifications began to deteriorate. Although it had survived the Peasants' War undamaged, it was no longer of strategic importance. The medieval Vorwerk was converted into a domain (state property). In 1526, for the first time, there was evidence of a lordly leaseholder on the former aristocratic residence. During this time the name “Maienluft” appears for the first time for the property.
1583 to the present
After the Counts of Henneberg died out in 1583, the castle was jointly administered by the Wettin- Saxon lines of the Ernestines and Albertines . When the county of Henneberg was divided in 1660, the castle came to the Duke of Saxe-Gotha , who from 1672 called himself Duke of Saxe-Gotha and Altenburg. After an inheritance division of this line, the castle belonged to the Duchy of Saxony-Meiningen from 1680 .
Even after the Wasung War of 1747–1748 between the lines of Saxe-Meiningen and Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, the town and castle remained in the possession of Meiningen, but were temporarily occupied by Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.
In 1868 the construction of facilities on the castle and the development of the tower began. Furthermore, castle festivals were carried out by the "local beautification association". After two fires in 1874 and 1876, the large domain stable building was rebuilt with historicist designs . Today the building houses a restaurant and hotel. The Duke of Saxony-Meiningen sold the castle in 1898. After that, an inn was set up. The current owners have extensively renovated the castle since 1992.
Site plan (1910)
View from the outer bailey (Georg Lilie - 1898)
View from the mountain side
(Georg Lilie -1898)
Lookout tower of the castle ruins
Interior view of the castle ruins (1997)
Excursion restaurant and hotel next to the castle ruins
_Wasungen_Bild2.jpg)
_Wasungen_Bild4.jpg)
investment
Maienluft consisted of a bailey , can be seen from the remains, and the higher core castle . It was to be entered through an ogival gate on the southwest corner and protected with a double wall ring and ditch on the ridge. Parts of the curtain wall and the keep have been preserved to this day. The square defense tower made of red sandstone blocks was probably built in the early 13th century on the attack side of the castle. The pointed arched high entrance was added later, the top floor has been rebuilt. A hotel and a restaurant are now housed in the historic former farm buildings.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Description of the small medieval town of Wasungen ( Memento of the original from February 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
