Balthasar Castle

Balthasar Castle in today's Europa-Park in Rust

The Balthasar Castle , also called Balthasarburg or Rust Castle , is a former moated castle and listed building in the municipality of Rust in Baden-Württemberg . It is located in the Europa-Park theme park , which today is mainly located on the former park of the palace.

history

Depiction of the Balthasarburg on a leaded glass window of the former monastery church of Kloster Zella

From 1442 the castle was owned by the Boecklin zu Boecklinsau family , one of the oldest Strasbourg noble families . The name Balthasarburg came about around 1500 through the founders of a master property contract. Around 1575 the castle was rebuilt in its present form. In the 1970s, the Mack family bought the large castle park from the community in order to set up an amusement park, which was to serve as an exhibition area for the rides of the family-owned company, now Mack Rides . The theme park opened on July 12, 1975 as Europa-Park. In 1977 the Mack family also acquired the castle after it had been agreed with the former owner that an amusement park would not be allowed on the site immediately in front of the castle. The Mack family renovated and rebuilt the castle in 1979 and 1980 before it was reopened and integrated into the amusement park. The so-called castle restaurant has been operating there since then, and more recently evening events such as the Baden Knight's Supper have also been held in the castle .

investment

Today's complex consists of a rectangular, three-storey Renaissance building with a half-hip roof , on the east side of which there is an octagonal tower. The castle also has two bay windows . Around the building is the so-called Schlosspark, which was created by Europa-Park. The castle used to have a moat that was fed by the nearby Junkerbach, and probably several farms.

literature

• Franz Xaver Kraus : The art monuments of the Grand Duchy of Baden , Volume 6, Tübingen 1904, pp. 272-274 ( digitized version of the Heidelberg University Library ).
• "Really old": Balthasar Castle in the Europapark Rust . In: Silvia Huth and Manfred Frust: Schlösser am Oberrhein. History and stories. With photos by Peter Sandbiller. Silberburg-Verlag , Tübingen 2008, ISBN 978-3-87407-793-4 .

See also

• List of castles and palaces in Baden-Württemberg

Web links

Commons : Schloss Balthasar  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Balthasar Castle at epfans.info
• Balthasar Castle at europapark.de
• Balthasar Rust Castle at alemannische-seiten.de
• Rust Castle, Balthasar at burgenarchiv.de

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Balthasar Castle at epfans.info
2. ↑ ^{a b} The history of Europa-Park at epfans.info

Coordinates: 48 ° 16 ′ 6.5 ″  N , 7 ° 43 ′ 30.5 ″  E