Fortress Heldrungen

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Heldrungen Castle
Lock with inner fastening ring, washers and inner moat
The entrance gate to the fortress

The fortress Heldrungen is a fortress used until 1712 with two moats , four Vauban bastions and five roundels and is located in Heldrungen in Thuringia , district of An der Schmücke on the southern edge of the Golden Aue southeast of Bad Frankenhausen . The core of the fortress shows itself as a bastion castle from 1519, while the surrounding ramparts and bastions date from 1668. The main gate of the fortress is in turn flanked by two mighty round towers.

investment

The multi-storey castle from the Renaissance period goes back to a castle from the 13th century and its structure still shows some architectural parts from the Gothic period , such as the division of the windows. A Romanesque keep , for the sake of trapped there held peasant leader also " Munzer -Turm" is called, is integrated into the south wing of the castle. The building has been rebuilt several times over the course of time and dilapidated parts were torn down, but today the castle is presented in an exemplary restored version.

The baroque fortress is essentially a structure made of earth with an economical use of masonry .

Today there is a youth hostel in the castle . The exterior of the fortress is freely accessible.

Since 1976 there has been a Müntzer monument created by the artists Hans-Hermann Richter and Johann-Peter Hinz on the free space in front of the north wing , on which the prince servants frame the imprisoned Müntzer. A powerful young couple and three beaten farmers complete the property.

history

The first fortification was probably a wooden refuge for the residents of the nearby “Roter Hof” manor . The first documentary mention took place in 1126. The castle was owned by the Lords of Heldrungen . A first stone, Romanesque castle complex was built around 1190 . Around 1400 the castle came into the possession of the Counts of Hohnstein . In 1479, they had to sell the castle to Count Ernst II von Mansfeld-Hinterort (1479–1531) due to high debt . From 1501, Count Ernst II von Mansfeld had the castle renovated and expanded into a residence. From 1512 to 1518 the four-wing Renaissance palace complex was built for Count Ernst II and his second wife Dorothea von Solms . In the years after 1519, fortifications with a total of 12 rondelles were built in two fortress belts and a double moat around the castle. The moated castle became a fortress, which in its time was considered impregnable. The complex of castle and independent fortification belt is characterized by the early Renaissance emerging in the Saxon area and represents an early example of the "bastionized castle". Comparable are Hartenfels Castle in Torgau , Wittenberg Castle in Wittenberg and Moritzburg in Halle .

During the Peasants' War, the fortress played an important role as a retreat for the regional nobility. After the Battle of Frankenhausen , the farmer's leader Thomas Müntzer was imprisoned and tortured in the castle in May 1525 until he was executed . In the Schmalkaldic War there were battles for the fortress in 1546 and 1547 . During the Thirty Years' War, the fortress was conquered on October 23, 1632 by Wallenstein's troops under General Merode . All fortress residents were murdered after the conquest. The fortress changed hands frequently during the Thirty Years' War until 1645 , before being conquered by the Swedes in 1645 . The fortress was badly damaged during the siege . The outer walls were razed in 1645. From 1664 to 1668, Johann Moritz Richter built a new, modern outer fortress based on the Vauban system. From 1680 the fortress lost its importance and the entire complex slowly fell into disrepair. The last garrison on the fortress was passed on December 17, 1712 by the Council of War of Tottleben. As a result of the Congress of Vienna , the place and fortress Heldrungen came to the Kingdom of Prussia . Because of its lack of military importance, the fortress was removed from the list of Prussian fortresses in 1860.

The first value preservation measures were carried out from 1930. After the Second World War , some families used the buildings of the Wasserburg as apartments. Later, a youth hostel was opened on the Wasserburg and a Müntzer memorial (museum) was set up, which was removed after 1990. Extensive renovation and restoration measures were carried out by the GDR from 1974 to preserve the building fabric. This work was continued after the German reunification. In particular, the inner and outer fastening rings with the bastions were saved from decay. In 1990 the Burgcafé was opened, which has since been closed again.

  • The moat of the fortress with one of the bastions

  • Renaissance castle with built-in keep

  • Gate system

  • Inner moat with round bastions

  • South west side of the main building

sightseeing

The outdoor area of ​​the fortress is freely accessible. An inside tour is possible by prior arrangement with the local history association “Schloss Heldrungen e. V. "possible.

Personalities

literature

  • Irene Roch: Castle Heldrungen. EA Seemann, Leipzig 1980.
  • Reinhard Schmitt : A previously unknown view of Heldrungen Castle from July 16, 1664 - sources for the destruction of the fortress. In: Castles and palaces in Saxony-Anhalt . Issue 7, Hall 1998.
  • Reinhard Schmitt, Gotthard Voss: Castle and fortress Heldrungen. Building history and monument preservation . in: built past today. Reports from the preservation of monuments . Verlag für Bauwesen, Munich 1993, pp. 63–88
  • Hermann Wäscher : Feudal castles in the districts of Halle and Magdeburg. Henschelverlag, Berlin 1962.

Web links

Commons : Fortress Heldrungen  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 51 ° 17 ′ 56 ″  N , 11 ° 13 ′ 8 ″  E