Falkenburg (Palatinate)

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Falkenburg
The Falkenburg from the southwest

The Falkenburg from the southwest

Alternative name (s): Falkenberg, Falckenberg, Valchenberch
Creation time : probably 11th century, first mentioned in 1246
Castle type : Höhenburg, rocky location
Conservation status: Bergfriedrest, foundation walls
Standing position : Ministeriale
Place: Wilgartswiesen
Geographical location 49 ° 12 '19 "  N , 7 ° 51' 35.9"  E Coordinates: 49 ° 12 '19 "  N , 7 ° 51' 35.9"  E
Height: 336.9  m above sea level NHN
Falkenburg (Rhineland-Palatinate)
Falkenburg

The ruins of the Falkenburg are located in the southern Palatinate Forest at 336.9  m above sea level. NHN high Schloßberg west above Wilgartswiesen in the Rhineland-Palatinate district of Südwestpfalz .

Like many of the castles in the Palatinate Forest, it was built as a rock castle on a red sandstone rock in the 11th century . As the successor to the Wilgartaburg , it should guarantee the protection of the neighboring villages.

history

Although, like many castles in the area, it may have been built earlier, the castle was first mentioned in 1246. 44 years later, in 1290, a Werner von Falkenburg was mentioned in a document. From 1300 to 1313 the Falkenburg was pledged to Friedrich IV of Leiningen, in 1317 it was pledged again, this time by Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian to the Count Palatine of Rhine Rudolf II and Ruprecht I. In 1375 Emich V of Leiningen became the owner of the castle. The Falkenburg, which was measured in 1427, survived the Palatinate Peasants' War in 1525 , but was occupied in 1632 until it was returned to its owner in 1648. In 1680 it was blown up by French troops. The local Liningian office Falkenburg had administered the entire Franconian pasture . It was moved to Wilgartswiesen after the castle was destroyed.

In 1560, the county of Leiningen-Hardenburg was under the brothers Johann Philipp I and Emich XI. divided up. As the elder Johann Philipp received the headquarters in Hardenburg with Dürkheim and the surrounding area, Battenberg , Großbockenheim and Kleinbockenheim as well as various free float. From then on, he and his descendants referred to themselves as Counts of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Hardenburg.

Emich XI. inherited Falkenburg Castle with the surrounding villages (= Falkenburg Office) as well as Mühlheim an der Eis , Colgenstein, Heidesheim , Kindenheim and Biedesheim in the North Palatinate , Guntersblum in Rheinhessen and various other properties. The latter line was called Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg. She initially resided on the Falkenburg, from 1612 on the newly built and more easily accessible Heidesheim Castle near Worms . The male line of the Leiningen-Falkenburgers died out in 1774, but were revived from 1787 by an illegitimate line as Counts of Leiningen-Heidesheim and Leiningen-Guntersblum .

investment

The elongated castle complex had an older 50 × 11 m upper castle, which could be reached by a staircase from the lower castle with gate and drawbridge .

The keep , of which a 2.50 m high stump still stands, had a wall thickness of 1.80 m on a base area of ​​6.80 × 7.20 m. Furthermore, the system shows the remains of a cistern , the gatehouse , a rock chamber of a residential building, possibly a palace was, and other remains of walls on the castle rock.

Nature reserve

Parts of the Schloßberg with the Falkenburg are in the Falkenburg-Tiergarten nature reserve ( CDDA no. 163021). It was designated in 1984 and is 0.3594 km² in size.

literature

  • Alexander Thon (Ed.): "... like a banned, inaccessible magic castle" . Castles in the southern Palatinate. 2nd, improved edition. Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2005, ISBN 3-7954-1570-5 , p. 44-47 .
  • Rolf Übel : Falkenburg . In: Jürgen Keddigkeit , Alexander Thon, Rolf Übel (eds.): Palatinate Castle Lexicon (=  contributions to Palatinate history . Volume 12.2 ). tape 2 , F − H, 2002, ISBN 3-927754-48-X , ISSN  0936-7640 , p. 37-46 .

Web links

Commons : Falkenburg (Pfalz)  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Map service of the landscape information system of the Rhineland-Palatinate Nature Conservation Administration (LANIS map) ( notes ) Scale 1: 5,000
  2. ^ Margarethe Roth: The former county of Leiningen-Heidesheim. In: Leininger Geschichtsblätter. 6th year, Kirchheimbolanden, 1907, pp. 21–24 and 28–31.
  3. ^ Johann Georg Lehmann : Documented history of the castles and mountain palaces in the former districts, counties and lordships of the Bavarian Palatinate , Volume 3. Kaiserslautern 1860, pp. 228-231.
  4. Map services of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation ( information )