Rothenfels castle ruins

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Rothenfels castle ruins
State around 1816 Lithograph by Xaver Glötzle (approx. 1850/60)

State around 1816
Lithograph by Xaver Glötzle (approx. 1850/60)

Creation time : 2nd half of the 13th century
Castle type : Höhenburg, spur location
Conservation status: ruin
Construction: Nagelfluhquader, quarry stone filling
Place: Immenstadt in the Allgäu
Geographical location 47 ° 34 '8 "  N , 10 ° 12' 19"  E Coordinates: 47 ° 34 '8 "  N , 10 ° 12' 19"  E
Height: 826.5  m above sea level NN
Rothenfels castle ruins (Bavaria)
Rothenfels castle ruins

The Rothenfels castle ruins are located on a wooded mountain spur northwest of Immenstadt in the Allgäu . The highly substance-endangered cultural monument is no longer freely accessible.

history

The Spornburg was built in the second half of the 13th century by the Lords of Schellenberg . In 1273 the rule went to Rudolf von Habsburg and in 1332 to Count Wilhelm II of Montfort († 1354). Together with Hugofels Castle, which is only 170 meters away , a double castle was built here.

The castle was destroyed by lightning in 1462 and then rebuilt. During the German Peasant War (1525), the rebels besieged the double castle without success. Count Wolfgang von Montfort is said to have withdrawn with his servants in the large residential tower of Hugofels Castle. In 1546 troops of the Schmalkaldic League occupied the facility. In 1565, Count Ulrich was the last of his tribe to sell the fortress to his brother-in-law Johann Jakob von Königsegg. After the barons of Königsegg had been elevated to the status of imperial count in 1629, the residence was moved down to the city palace in Immenstadt.

At the end of the 18th century, the roofs were covered under Count Fidel von Königsegg in order to recycle the brick material. In 1816/18 the castle complex, which was still largely preserved, was demolished for the construction of a foal farm and a dam . In 1875 the town of Immenstadt finally acquired the castle ruins. The remnants of the large double castle, which are highly endangered by substance, were included in the concept of the newly developed Allgäu castle region in 2007 by setting up information boards .

description

Floor plan on the information board in the castle area

The castle was at 853 meters above sea level. NN created on a hill spur jutting out to the east above the Kleiner Alpsee. In the south, west and north the fortress was effectively secured by the very steep slopes. In the east, the narrow castle path leads to the former main gate, above which the few remains of the walls of the former donjon have been preserved on a rocky knoll about 10 meters high . The infill masonry of the front building can still be seen south of the completely defected gate.

The narrow courtyard behind this shield wall-like front building was bordered in a horseshoe shape by three-story residential buildings. Four round towers with conical domes jumped outwards. The Nagelfluhfels, which is everywhere in the area, served as building material . Quarry stone was used as filling material. The castle quarry was located directly behind the partially preserved residential tower of the immediately adjacent Hugofels Castle, which was originally just a fore of the Rothenfels.

Between the two castles was a shared outer bailey area with an external gate. The area is still inhabited today.

In the west of the castle a four-meter high wall made of mighty Nagelfluh blocks has been preserved. A narrow notch breaks through the lowest stone layer on the outside. On the plateau, the remains of the foundation continue to the east around a rectangular pit.

The rubble dumps from the demolition work of the early 19th century can be seen on the entire castle plateau. The few exposed remains of the wall urgently need to be secured. Like the neighboring castle of Hugofels, the Rothenfels is not completely safe to visit. The double castle complex, which is important for castle history, is overall in a very desolate condition. In 2007, however, a modern information board was set up on the site as part of the expansion of the "Allgäu Castle Region".

A lithograph by Xaver Glötzle (around 1850/60) gives an impression of the castle complex at the beginning of the demolition work (around 1816 ). The keep, the ruins of the front building and the peripheral development with a round tower are clearly recognizable.

  • The castle from the northeast

  • The strongly substance endangered remains of the east side

  • Sparse remains of the wall in the west

  • The wall in the west of large Nagelfluhquadern (outside), preserved up to a height of four meters

  • Memorial plaque at Rothenfels castle ruins

literature

  • Toni Nessler: Castles in the Allgäu, Volume 1: Castle ruins in the Altlandkreis Kempten and Altlandkreis Sonthofen . 1st edition. Allgäuer Zeitungsverlag, Kempten 1985, ISBN 3-88006-102-5 , pp. 251-275.
  • Michael Petzet : Sonthofen district (= The art monuments of Bavaria. The art monuments of Swabia. Volume 8). Oldenbourg, Munich 1964.
  • Rudolf Vogel (Ed.): Immenstadt im Allgäu. Landscape, history, economy, cultural and religious life over the centuries. Verlag J. Eberl KG, Immenstadt 1996, ISBN 3-920269-00-4 .

Web links

Commons : Burg Rothenfels (Immenstadt)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Immenstadt castles and castle ruins