Biedenkopf Castle

Biedenkopf Castle
	View from the south-east
Creation time :	1296
Castle type :	Hilltop castle
Conservation status:	Rebuilt
Standing position :	Landgraves
Place:	Biedenkopf
Geographical location	50 ° 54 '54 .4 " N , 8 ° 31' 36.4" E Coordinates: 50 ° 54 '54 .4 " N , 8 ° 31' 36.4" E
Height:	386 m above sea level NHN

Castle and town of Biedenkopf after an engraving by Matthäus Merian 1655

Refurbished inner courtyard (2011)

Palas (2006)

View from the west

View from the south

The Biedenkopf Castle is a castle in the central Hessian town of Biedenkopf and the landmark of the city. It stands on the 386 meter high Schlossberg, a mountain cone above the old town center.

history

According to dendrochronological studies, the northern tower of the castle was probably built after 1175. A von Biedencap (h) family was first mentioned in the late 12th century. The first representative of the family, Harmouthdus von Biedencaph, was Ministeriale of the Archbishops of Cologne . The family came from the von Hohenfels family .

Around 1231 the castle came into the possession of Landgrave Konrad von Thuringia , who administered the Hessian possessions of the Ludowingians and had the town of Biedenkopf laid out below the castle. At the time of the Thuringian Landgrave Heinrich Raspe , the castle, together with the castles in Frankenberg and Gladenbach, served as western border security.

After 1296, Landgrave Otto I of Hesse “moved” the castle to “forne uff den Berg”; he probably built a castle at the current location on the south side of the mountain. The castle, which is still accessible today, was significantly expanded from 1360 to 1365 under Landgrave Heinrich II of Hesse. After building studies, the palace was rebuilt in the second half of the 15th century (1455-1460 and 1480-1483).

In the 15./16. In the 19th century, the castle increasingly lost its importance and was structurally neglected. From 1579 the hall served as a granary. In 1604 the castle was in ruins. During the Thirty Years War it was occupied several times and badly damaged.

In the years 1843–1847 the palace was repaired again under Grand Duke Ludwig II of Hesse-Darmstadt and the district architect Sonnemann and rebuilt in the spirit of historicism . This construction project is often wrongly attributed to the builder Georg Moller . The hall was renovated from 1886–1891. In 1908 a local history museum was set up in the castle by the history association of the Biedenkopf district .

From 1988 to 1993 the castle was closed to the public because it was in disrepair. The district of Marburg-Biedenkopf was awarded the Hessian Monument Protection Prize in 1993 for the extensive renovation that followed . In the following years, other parts of the castle complex were repaired and renovated, in 2007/2008 the castle wall and in 2010 the inner courtyard with restoration of the original paving.

investment

Today's castle is on the south side of the Schlossberg. The keep is integrated into the curtain wall on the city side. A kennel is in front of the keep. Remnants of the city fortifications are attached to the curtain wall and the Zwinger . On the east side of the castle are the hall and a square residential tower.

To the north of the castle ruins of a roughly rectangular castle were found, which could have been a predecessor of today's castle.

Todays use

Hinterland Museum

→ Main article: Hinterland Museum Schloss Biedenkopf

The Landgrave's Palace houses the Hinterland Museum , which not only has permanent exhibitions but also changing exhibitions related to the region. Schlossverein Biedenkopf e. Takes care of the maintenance and promotion of the facility. V. In the former Palas, the main residential building of the castle complex, the Hinterland Museum is located on four floors. The themes of history, living conditions, handicrafts and traditional costumes in the Hessian hinterland , the border crossing (historical folk festival), the geological structure of the region and the local fauna are presented here. The museum has an exhibition area of approx. 700 m². The district of Marburg-Biedenkopf is responsible for the museum .

Knight hall

The knight's hall in the Palas is used for cultural events, in particular for the “Autumn Evenings” series of events with theater performances, concerts and lectures on local and regional history. The Otto Ubbelohde Prize is awarded there every year. The Biedenkopf registry office offers to use the hall for weddings.

Outdoor area

The courtyard of the palace complex is occasionally used for concerts and theater performances. Medieval markets take place on the parking lot in front of it.

Biedenkopf Castle Festival

Since 2013, the Biedenkopf Palace Festival has been held in the inner courtyard every summer; Organized by the company leisure, recreation and culture of the city of Biedenkopf. Their concept is to develop and perform new German-language musicals on local historical topics. The ensemble (including live band), which has over 100 members, consists partly of nationally and internationally active musical professionals, but mostly of several dozen local amateur actors. So far, three productions have been presented: in 2013 and 2014 Threaded , a story from the 16th century about the liberation of Philip the Magnanimous by Biedenkopfer cloth merchants, as well as in 2015 and 2016 The Post Robbery , based on the historically documented post robbery in the Subach from the beginning of the 19th century (already made famous by a film adaptation ). Every two years, new productions with historical themes and regional references will also be performed in the future. The musical Die Hatzfeldt has been performed since 2017 . It is about Countess Sophie von Hatzfeldt , who at the time of the first German democracy movement in March 1848, with the help of her lawyer Ferdinand Lassalle , wants to escape a forced marriage within the family.

gastronomy

In 1950 a restaurant was installed, which was expanded in 1960. The extension consisted of the construction of a large upper floor above the previous restaurant and the castle wall. Due to its terraced character, it was named "Castle Terrace" and has been used as a restaurant and café ever since.

The previous restaurant (with a bay window in the castle wall) was closed and only renovated in the 1980s and reopened for gastronomic use under the name "Eiserner Heinrich". If necessary, it is used as an extension of the “castle terrace” by closed societies.

The gastronomic ensemble is seasonally supplemented by a beer garden in front of the castle wall.

literature

Alexander Thon, Stefan Ulrich, Jens Friedhoff: "Decided with strong iron chains and bolts". Castles on the Lahn . Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-7954-2000-0 , pp. 28-33 .
Michael Losse: The Lahn - castles and palaces . Imhof Verlag, Petersberg 2007, ISBN 978-3-86568-070-9 .
Max Langenbrinck: Historical data, chronology Schloss Biedenkopf . In: District Committee of the Marburg-Biedenkopf District (Ed.): "... it almost collapsed ..." - Building history and renovation of the Biedenkopf palace building . Marburg 1994, p. 43 ff .
Georg Landau: The Hessian knight castles and their owners . tape 3 . Published by JJ Bohné, Kassel 1836.
Rainer Nickel: The upper courtyard of Biedenkopf Castle: Castle excavation in the Marburg-Biedenkopf district . In: Archaeological and Palaeontological Monument Preservation of the State Office for Monument Preservation Hesse (Hrsg.): Hesse Archeology: Yearbook for Archeology and Palaeontology in Hesse . tape 2010 , 2011, ISSN 1610-0190 , pp. 160-164 (Ill., Graph. Darst.).
Norbert Gebauer: Comments on Biedenkopf Castle . Revised version of a lecture given to the Hinterland History Association on March 23, 2007 in Biedenkopf. In: Association for Hessian History and Regional Studies Kassel 1834 e. V. (Hrsg.): Journal for Hessian History and Regional Studies (ZHG) . tape 112 , 2007, ISSN 0342-3107 , p. 253–272 ( vhghessen.de (PDF) [accessed April 7, 2013]).

Web links

Commons : Schloss Biedenkopf - Collection of images

Entry by Jens Friedhoff zu Biedenkopf in the scientific database " EBIDAT " of the European Castle Institute

Website of the Schloßverein Biedenkopf e. V. - History, offers for tourists, events in the castle and club information

The castle on www.marburg-biedenkopf.de

Landgrave Castle and Hinterland Museum at www.biedenkopf.de

Restaurants / cafés on the Schlossterrasse at www.restaurant-schlossterrasse.de

A historical description from the year 1836 of Biedenkopf Castle and the history of the city of Biedenkopf can be found in the book Georg Landau: Die Hessischen Ritterburgen and their owners, Volume 3 on Google Books and on vhghessen.de (PDF; 195 kB).