Todenwarth castle ruins
| Todenwarth | ||
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 The East View (2017) |
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| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | Ring wall, wall and moat remains | |
| Standing position : | Mercenary, later baron | |
| Construction: | Quarry stone masonry | |
| Place: | Fambach | |
| Geographical location | 50 ° 43 '15.2 " N , 10 ° 21' 44.6" E | |
| Height: | 270 m above sea level NN | |
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The Todenwarth castle ruins are the ruins of a late medieval hilltop castle at 270 m above sea level. NN in the district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen . It is within sight of a ford of the medieval army and trade route following the Werra valley (today Bundesstrasse 19 and mostly signposted as Meininger or Nürnberger Strasse) on the northern steep bank of the Werra opposite the village of Wernshausen and belongs to the municipality of Fambach .
history
The earliest mention of a fortification “Warthe” on the hill protected by steep slopes was in 1185. The original mouth of the Schmalkalde was under the castle rock of the Todenwarth and marked an important border point of the “Breiter Mark” with the “Schmalkalder Cent”. In 1318, the Thuringian counts and ecclesiastical princes held a consultation on the enforcement of the peace within the walls.
Despite extensive sales of territory, last in 1330, the previous guardians of the Breit area, the Lords of Frankenstein (also known as "Counts of Frankenstein") were ruined and disappeared as a political power in the middle of the 14th century. In 1330, Count Berthold VII (1272-1340) from the Schleusinger line of the Counts of Henneberg acquired large parts of the areas sold by the brothers Siegbodo and Ludwig von Frankenstein .
To secure the border, a Landwehr train was built in the 14th century to protect the Henneberg areas. Count Wilhelm III. von Henneberg had the castle built into a customs castle in the middle of the 15th century . The road led through the two castle gates, within the castle grounds the goods were assessed and customs cleared. The castle crew was commanded by the Wolff brothers from Schmalkalden, possibly tried-and-tested mercenaries or captains of the city guard from Schmalkalden , who have called themselves Wolff von Todenwarth since then and who remained owners of the castle and the subsequent manor until 1919. In 1432 the name "Tote Warte" was mentioned for the first time. The name comes from the Dode, a steep hill above the Werra valley.
Todays situation
The headquarters in Todenwarth was founded in 1997 by Dr. Jochen Halbig, a descendant, acquired as a ruin and has been restored since then. In 2008 he received the Thuringian Monument Protection Prize for his work . The "Freundeskreis Todenwarth eV", which was founded in December 2005, promotes the renovation in line with historic monuments and the processing of family history. The "Todenwarth" is used as a place for cultural events and is open to visitors every year on the Open Monument Day .
Structural matters
The medieval fortification has a size of 6600 m² and is only visible in remnants. Parts of the curtain wall , a tower foundation and a cellar belong to the original system . Most of the buildings were destroyed in the 16th century (Peasants' War?) And in the Thirty Years War and only partially replaced by new buildings later. In the wall you can see a now walled-up gate with a gate. It marks the original entrance to the castle. The road once led across the courtyard and could be blocked by the gate guard. Until the middle of the 19th century, road tolls and road tolls were levied, the former toll castle was already being managed as an estate by the wolves of Todenwarth.
literature
- Fritz Kühnlenz: Experiences on the Werra. Local history walks. Greifenverlag Rudolstadt 1973 p. 237.
- Between Ruhla, Bad Liebenstein and Schmalkalden (= values of our homeland . Volume 48). 1st edition. Akademie Verlag, Berlin 1989, pp. 145f.
- Thomas Bienert: Medieval castles in Thuringia. 430 castles, castle ruins and fortifications. Wartberg-Verlag, Gudensberg-Gleichen 2000, ISBN 3-86134-631-1 , p. 251.
- Michael Köhler: Thuringian castles and fortified prehistoric and early historical living spaces. Jenzig-Verlag Köhler, Jena 2003, ISBN 3-910141-43-9 , p. 248f.
Web links
- Site plan and sectional drawings from Paul Weber (Ed.): Die Bau- und Kunstdenkmäler im Reg.-bez. Kassel . Vol. 5: Herrsch. Schmalkalden. Marburg 1913, picture folder, plate 36.
- Verein Freundeskreis Todenwarth eV Chronicle of the castle, pictures, news, information on events and first research results of the association members.
Individual evidence
- ^ The documents of the joint Henneberg archive in Meiningen . In: Georg Brückner (Ed.): Hennebergisches Urkundenbuch . V, 38. Meiningen 1866 ( google.com ).
- ↑ Section taken over from article on family history.