Upper Castle (Greiz)
The Upper Castle is the landmark of the Thuringian city of Greiz . It is an architecturally valuable and striking cultural monument.
The first documentary mentions of a castle complex in Greiz built there by the bailiffs of Weida and Plauen date back to the years 1209 and 1225. Even if the function of the complex has changed over the years to representational, it can still be seen in some places today Remains of the old castle fortifications.
Geographical location
The upper castle was built on a 50 meter high elongated mountain cone made of clay slate rock in the valley of the White Elster . The Schlossberg was formed in the south and west by this river and was originally connected to the east and north slopes of the Elstertal, on which the district of Irchwitz lies today . The Gräßlitz formed the mountain from the east and north, where it flowed into the White Elster. The Schlossberg as a single elevation was created when the Gräßlitz broke through the south-facing slope.
The old town of Greiz adjoins the Schlossberg to the southeast. To the south there are commercial and residential buildings, some of which were built into the rock, as well as the White Elster and the Neustadt on the opposite side of the river. Greizer Park joins the west and north-west of the palace .
In the category of hilltop castles , the Upper Castle can be viewed as a summit castle , as it is separated from the valley on all sides by steep slopes.
Appearance and structure
From the south, the castle appears as a simple high house. The Renaissance gables of the east wing, on the other hand, represent the castle-like character of the complex, while from the north and west it still looks like a medieval castle today .
The mainly connected buildings of the extensive complex extend in the form of an ellipse from NNW to SSE. They completely enclose the upper castle courtyard and the top of the mountain cone on which the keep stands. Access to this rock peak is via a staircase in a transverse wing, which also closes off the upper castle courtyard in a northerly direction.
North of the upper castle courtyard, there are paved paths on both sides between the rocks and the outer buildings. These lead through a kennel to the lower courtyard. This is bordered by several non-connected buildings - the gatehouse, today's city archive and residential buildings that are still used as such today. From here, paths lead on all sides of the mountain into the city and Greizer Park .
From a southern exit, a connecting path led over a bridge to a tower building, which was located at the southernmost tip of the mountain. After this building, the garden there is now called Lower Schanze .
history
From the beginning of the 13th century the castle was the residence of the bailiffs of Weida and Plauen and later the Russian lords. Under the two sons of Heinrich III. Reuss, the elder, Mr. von Plauen and Greiz (1350-1368), arose as a result of an inheritance division separate court holdings in the front and rear palace . In 1564 another division of the estate led to the establishment of the dominions Ober-Greiz and Unter-Greiz (the latter with a residence in the Lower Castle ). Count Heinrich XI. Reuss zu Obergreiz also inherited Unter-Greiz in 1768 and was elevated to the rank of imperial prince in 1778, as Prince Reuss of the older line .
After a lightning strike on June 3, 1540, the castle burned down almost completely and was then gradually rebuilt. From about 1620 to 1625 who received keep its present form on the isolated rock cone. The transformation of the castle into a count's residence took place from 1697 to 1714. a. most of the weir system removed. Numerous new buildings and additions in the late Baroque style resulted in the lower courtyard in its present form between 1733 and 1753. In a city view from 1714, the access road from the city can be seen for the first time. This path was created in its present form between 1705 and 1737. The older main entrance to the castle was at today's stilt gate. The entrance to the castle was originally only possible from Parkgasse.
After the Reussian princes moved in 1809 to the Lower Greiz Castle , which was rebuilt after the city fire of 1802 , the Upper Castle became the seat of the government authorities of the Principality of Reuss Older Line . Incidentally, this principality was the smallest monarchy in terms of area of the German Empire, founded in 1871 . In the course of the November Revolution in 1918, the prince and state government abdicated, and the Upper Palace was transferred to the Reuss State under a dispute agreement . The Upper Palace already housed many apartments in the 19th century. As early as 1884, the residents received the status of their own castle parish with their own mayor and self-government. It was not until 1919 that this castle community was reintegrated into the city of Greiz. Some of the buildings are still used for residential purposes today. The Upper Castle belongs to the city of Greiz and has been renovated and restored on their behalf since 1991.
Web links
See also
literature
- Lutz Scherf: The Upper Castle in Greiz and its high medieval brick buildings . In: Archaeological support for the renovation of the Upper Castle in cooperation with the Imperial Palace of Cheb. Greiz 2007, pp. 34-51.
- Lutz Scherf: The Upper Castle in Greiz and its high medieval brick buildings . In: Yearbook of the Museum Reichenfels-Hohenleuben 52, 2007, pp. 5–27.
- Sibylle Putzke, Thuringian State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology (Ed.): The Upper Castle in Greiz: a Romanesque brick building in East Thuringia and its historical surroundings . Reinhold, Altenburg 2008. ISBN 978-3-937940-51-9
- Diethard Fricke: The Vogtland around Greiz . TITV eV, Regional Management of the Greiz Region, Greiz 2013
Building on the castle that has not yet been renovated
Refurbished gatehouse
Schanzengarten
The Upper Castle above the white Elster and the Elstersteig
Coordinates: 50 ° 39 ′ 27.7 " N , 12 ° 11 ′ 48.7" E