Löwenburg and Philippsburg
| Löwenburg and Philippsburg | ||
|---|---|---|
 The ruins of the Löwenburg above Monreal |
||
| Alternative name (s): | Löwenburg, Monreal Castle, Philippsburg, the Rech | |
| Creation time : | 13th century | |
| Castle type : | Höhenburg, spur location | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Standing position : | Count | |
| Place: | Monreal | |
| Geographical location | 50 ° 18 '1.4 " N , 7 ° 9' 37.2" E | |
| Height: | 350 m above sea level NHN | |
|
||
Above the Eifel community Monreal rise in the Elzbachtal at 350 m above sea level. NHN high mountain spur the neighboring ruins of the Löwenburg , also known as Burg Monreal , and the Philippsburg . The latter is popularly known as "the rake" (deer).
history
The Spornburg was first mentioned in a document in 1229. Count Hermann III is considered to have built it. von Virneburg , who, ironically enough, built the complex on the land of his brother Philipp based on a division agreement. However, the resulting fraternal dispute was later settled in a settlement , and Philip ceded his rights to the region to his brother.
The Philippsburg was also built in the 13th century. It owes its nickname "Rech" to its smaller size in relation to the "lion". Regarding its existence there are two different theses: The first assumes that the Phillipsburg was only built as a fore or outer work of the Löwenburg, according to local tradition, however, the castle is supposed to be Philip's “answer” to the unauthorized construction of the Löwenburg his brother be done.
Although Monreal was in the Electorate of Trier , the Counts of Virneburg always maintained good relations with the Electorate of Cologne . Their goal was primarily to acquire church benefices for the numerous descendants of the Virneburg counts. Heinrich II. Von Virneburg , born in 1244 or 1246, first became provost of the cathedral in Cologne . In 1306 he was elected Archbishop of Cologne at the age of 60 and remained so for 26 years. He was given the task of consolidating the Archbishopric of Cologne in the decades following the Battle of Worringen in 1288 and the associated loss of power.
The good relations between the Virneburgers and Cologne and the fact that Heinrich II of Virneburg carried out constant raids on the nearby Electorate of Mayen sparked a feud between the Archbishop of Trier and the Virneburgers. At the mediation of the Archbishop of Cologne, the two parties agreed that Heinrich II. Monreal Castle after the death of his father Robert III. von Virneburg should apply Trier to fiefdom , which also happened. In Trier, too, the Virneburgers later acquired ecclesiastical offices; in the 14th century alone they provided six members of the cathedral chapter .
Under Robert IV of Virneburg, who was Lord of Monreal between 1384 and 1445, the complex was further expanded and served several times in the 14th and 15th centuries as the widow's residence of the count family. At the beginning of the 16th century, Monreal had already replaced the ancestral castle of the count family in Virneburg as the headquarters.
When the family of those of Virneburg with the last Count Cuno died out in the male line in 1545, Heinrich von Leiningen followed as a feudal man . However, after 1555, the Trier elector did not reassign the fief, but appointed his own bailiff .
The imposing fortifications suffered serious damage in the unsuccessful attempt to defend the city against Swedish troops in 1632 and were finally destroyed by French troops in 1689 during the War of the Palatinate Succession . In 1815 the ruins came into Prussian state ownership in the course of secularization and remained there until the state palace administration (today: Directorate Castles, Palaces, Antiquities of the General Directorate for Cultural Heritage Rhineland-Palatinate ) became the owner of the main castle . From 1970 onwards she had various security measures carried out there, so that the castle ruins can now be viewed freely.
Current condition
Large parts of the ruins of the Lion Castle have been preserved, from which the former appearance of the castle can still be clearly deduced. Above all, the remains of the 25 meter high keep with its three meter thick walls are visible from afar . Its high entrance points towards the valley, i.e. to the side facing away from the enemy. In the 15th century, the tower was protected against the firearms emerging at that time by a pointed shield wall . Today it is accessible as a lookout tower .
The main castle is secured with two neck ditches : an arched one protects it to the higher mountain slope in the northwest, another separates it from the eastern outer castle , of which only a few remains have survived.
The outer walls of the early Gothic castle chapel were once reinforced by a sheathing. Since their former vaults also collapsed, the remains of this sacred building are difficult to recognize as such.
Some significant remains of the Philippsburg have also survived. Especially the north-west tower and the south wall, which has been restored since 2007/2008.
literature
- Werner Bornheim called Schilling : The castles of Monreal . In: G. Ulrich Großmann (Hrsg.): Monreal in der Eifel, (= reports on house and building research . Volume 7 ). Marburg 2001, p. 61-72 .
- Günther Stanzl: Repair work on the Monreal castle ruins ("Great Castle"). A critical work report. In: Preservation of monuments in Rhineland-Palatinate. 47/51 (1992/1996), pp. 429-440.
Web links
- Castle ruins Monreal on the site of castles, palaces, antiquities Rhineland-Palatinate
- Entry on Löwenburg in the scientific database " EBIDAT " of the European Castle Institute
- Entry on Philippsburg in the scientific database " EBIDAT " of the European Castle Institute
- Floor plan of the Löwenburg on burgenwelt.de
- Floor plan of the Philippsburg on burgenwelt.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ Castle ruins in Monreal> Löwenburg on moselschiefer-strasse.de