Löffelstelz ruins

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Löffelstelz ruins
Löffelstelz ruins

Löffelstelz ruins

Alternative name (s): Dürrmenz Castle
Creation time : 1200 to 1300
Castle type : Höhenburg, location
Conservation status: ruin
Standing position : Nobles
Place: Mühlacker
Geographical location 48 ° 56 '30 "  N , 8 ° 50' 42.5"  E Coordinates: 48 ° 56 '30 "  N , 8 ° 50' 42.5"  E
Height: 280  m above sea level NN
Löffelstelz ruins (Baden-Württemberg)
Löffelstelz ruins

The Löffelstelz ruins , also called Dürrmenz Castle , are the ruins of a hilltop castle at 280  m above sea level. NN above Enzstrasse in Dürrmenz, a district of Mühlacker in the Enzkreis in Baden-Württemberg .

Ownership of the castle

The first mention of a gentleman from Dürrmenz took place in 1282 with "Henricus de Dürmenze". This came from the von Niefern family and was probably named after Dürrmenz after the purchase of the village and the castle. It is not known how the acquisition came about. A purchase does not seem likely due to the ongoing financial weakness. Another possibility is that the castle came into Henry's possession as the marriage property of an unknown noblewoman. Dürrmenz could also have belonged to the administrative district of the Knights of Niefern and was then separated.

Löffelstelz Castle Romanesque window reveal

It is also possible that there was a previous noble family from Dürrmenz, especially since the predecessor castle already existed in the 12th century.

Due to the relatively large number of descendants of the Dürrmenz noble family, the ownership shares in the castle were relatively severely fragmented. As a result, individual family members kept living outside the castle. From around 1365, the Dürrmenz goods and rights began to be sold on a larger scale , which was probably caused by the plague crisis and the associated decline in income. The Maulbronn Monastery , which had been part of the castle, acquired a large share at this time, but also to other powerful rulers such as the Elector Palatine Ruprecht were sold shares that the Dürrmenzer nobility as feudal got back again awarded. Over time, Maulbronn Monastery emerged as the main interested party, so that in 1482 Heinrich von Dürrmenz sold the last goods and income of the Dürrmenz noble family to Maulbronn and from then on the entire Löffelstelz Castle was owned by the monastery.

Origin and internal structure

Dürrmenz Castle was built around 1220/1240 on the remains of an older predecessor castle, which was possibly built in the 11th century. The reason for this new building towards a shield wall castle could have been motivated by defense. The now erected shield wall had a wall thickness of 2.7-2.8 meters. Its battlement also served as a viewing platform for observing enemy movements and for establishing visual connections to other castles nearby. In order to meet these requirements, the shield wall of the Löffelstelz would have to have had a height of at least about 22-25 meters. Löffelstelz Castle had an inner area of ​​29.5 by 21.5 meters and its entrance is on the southern defensive wall . The Schildmauerburg initially had three buildings inside, all of which were built on rock. The southeast building was probably a multi-storey stone building whose function is unknown. However, the defensive position protected by the shield wall could point to the original main residential building. Later, probably around 1400, a vaulted cellar with a height of about 2.7 meters was installed. The building in the southwest had a floor plan of around 8.8 by 8.7 meters and also had a cellar. The original building in the southwest was archaeologically proven to be lost in a fire disaster around 1260/70. The building, which was probably rebuilt around 1275 by Heinrich von Dürrmenz, the first mentioned Lord von Dürrmenz, had only sparse lighting on the ground floor, which is why it was possibly used as an armory or storage room . The richly windowed hall on the first floor, on the other hand, was probably used as a "knight's room". In the late Middle Ages, the building was given an additional storey with a half-timbered upper storey protruding far above the masonry . In the north-west there was initially a stone building, but this was demolished at the latest when the shield wall castle was built and probably replaced by a half-timbered wall. Like the south-west building, it had to be renewed around 1275 due to the fire. It is assumed that after the reconstruction, the western front of the Löffelstelz may represent the palace and outbuildings of Heinrich von Dürrmenz .

Another multi-story stone building was erected in the northeast corner at a later time. The ground floor was two-roomed and the floor plan was 8.6 by 4.9 meters. It should have been a residential tower . The last extensions are two smaller wooden extensions on the western side of the two buildings in the east.

Development in modern times

Archaeologically, there is evidence of a major fire inside around 1500, which probably destroyed the castle buildings. Since hardly any fragments of useful objects could be found in this catastrophe, a deliberate destruction can possibly be concluded. This indicates that the Württemberg Duke Ulrich had the castle destroyed in 1504 as part of a campaign in the War of the Bavarian-Palatinate Succession and gave the residents the opportunity to clear the Löffelstelz. During this campaign, the Duke of Württemberg, who was on the side of Bavaria , occupied the Maulbronn monastery, which had been under the protection of the Palatinate. On the way, there is evidence that he had the places owned by the monastery such as Lomersheim or Dürrmenz burned down. A similar approach against Löffelstelz Castle can therefore be assumed. After this time, the demolition of the castle should have started.

The castle was part of the Eppinger Line and a drawing from the year 1695 of the ruin comes from its construction, on whose already destroyed shield wall a wooden platform can be seen as well as a plan from 1697 on which the castle is called “Schlos Löffelsteltz” for the first time. It was named after the hamlet below the castle, which looks like a spoon handle from above. During this time it was used by the Baden troops in the Palatinate War of Succession as a base against the French.

After this time, the castle ruins served as a quarry and in the 19th and early 20th centuries was only used as a vineyard. In 1899 the entrance collapsed due to gimmicks by soldiers . Thereupon the Mühlacker Beautification Association began to pay attention to the Löffelstelz again. In 1902 and 1911, today's archway with the three coats of arms was built. On the left is the inscription Burgherren von Durmenz and on the right the dates 1282–1711. In the middle the typical ring of the noble family as the castle coat of arms With the help of donations, the area around the former castle could be bought up and converted into a castle complex from 1905–1908.

Remains of the residential tower and walls have been preserved from the castle. The castle ruins were named “ Monument of the Month May 2008” by the Baden-Württemberg Monument Foundation.

literature

Web links

Commons : Burg Löffelstelz  - Collection of images, videos and audio files