Birstein Castle

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Archival building of Birstein Castle
View of Birstein Castle from the new building area
Birstein Castle around 1720

The Birstein Castle in the town of Birstein on the northeastern edge of the Main-Kinzig district in Hesse since 1517 the residence of the counts and (from 1744) Prince of Isenburg-Birstein (from 1920 of Isenburg).

The castle stands on a narrow ridge and is grouped around three inner courtyards, one behind the other. It developed from a core castle from the 12th to the 18th century . Subsequently, the system was hardly changed. Fortifications were laid down in the 19th century and a landscaped garden was created.

The middle part of the complex is formed by the medieval castle that surrounds the courtyard . The New Palace , built in 1763–68, is located between the forecourt and the main castle. It integrates the keep of the castle complex on its back . To the north is the forecourt , completely on three sides and partially surrounded on one side. The palace complex is entered from there. The archives and offices serve as the portal, which was built in 1733 by the Hanau master builder Christian Ludwig Hermann . To the north of the main castle is the Kutschenhof , which is surrounded by Renaissance buildings from the 16th century. Most of the roofs were redesigned in the 18th century in baroque style. The buildings have a rich historical interior. The family of the princes of Isenburg-Birstein still live in the castle today.

literature

  • Friedrich Bleibaum : The restoration of Birstein Castle . In: Hessische Heimat 1 (1961), pp. 19–24.
  • Gerhard Bott : Castles and public buildings in the county of Hanau-Lichtenberg in the 17th and 18th centuries. In: New Magazine for Hanau History 2015, pp. 35ff. (here especially p. 73f.).
  • Georg Dehio, Handbook of German Art Monuments - Hesse II. Administrative Region Darmstadt. (Ed .: Folkhard Cremer and Tobias Michael Wolf), 3rd edition, Munich 2008, p. 93f.
  • Karl Dielmann: Birstein Castle. Mountain festivals - Renaissance castle - Prince seat. In: Büdinger Geschichtsblätter 2, 1958, pp. 109–122.
  • Waltraud Friedrich: Cultural monuments in Hessen. Main-Kinzig district II.1. Bad Orb, Biebergemünd, Birstein, Brachttal, Freigericht. Published by the State Office for Monument Preservation Hessen , Theiss, Wiesbaden / Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-8062-2469-6 , pp. 263-267 ( Monument topography Federal Republic of Germany ).
  • Princess Margarete von Isenburg: The Birstein archive building. A creation by the Hanau building director Christian Ludwig Hermann. In: Hanauer Geschichtsblätter 18, 1962 pp. 249-252.
  • Inge Wolf: Christian Ludwig Hermann. Construction director at Hanauer Hof . In: Hanauer Geschichtsblätter 30 (1988), pp. 445-555 (463 ff.).
  • Rolf Müller (Ed.): Palaces, castles, old walls. Published by the Hessendienst der Staatskanzlei, Wiesbaden 1990, ISBN 3-89214-017-0 , p. 54 f.

Web links

Commons : Schloss Birstein  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 50 ° 21 ′ 2 "  N , 9 ° 18 ′ 28"  E