Dillingen Castle on the Danube

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Dillingen Castle
Castle tower ( keep ) and gate
patio
facade
entrance

Dillingen Castle on the Danube is a former prince-bishop of Augsburg residence. It stands on a high terrace with a steep drop on the southern edge of the city center of Dillingen an der Donau . The square northwest tower with its three octagonal floors is one of the symbols of the Swabian city. The building consists of four unequal, three- or four-story wings around an irregular polygonal inner courtyard.

history

As early as the 10th century, there was a refuge on the site of today's castle . This offered the population protection and security when Hungarian armies in particular threatened the country. Presumably, this castle already guarded a Danube crossing in the immediate vicinity and the important Donaustraße, which has always been one of the most important east-west connections in Central Europe . Bishop Ulrich von Augsburg stayed for a few months as a guest in the castellum Dilinga in 937 .

The castle was first mentioned in 1220. At that time it was owned by the Hupaldingers, who called themselves Counts of Dillingen in the 12th century . The counts of Dillingen had in typical storage Fischer Mode two Bergfriede and an intermediate asked Palas built. The core of this system is still preserved in the current north wing. In 1258, the entire complex and the town of Dillingen were donated by Hartmann V, Count and Bishop of Dillingen, to the possession of the Augsburg bishopric. In this year one can also find the mention of castrum et oppidum Dilingen in a document .

The heyday of the building and the city began with the handover of the count's castle to the bishopric of Augsburg , due to the rise of Dillingen to a residential city. The prince-bishops of Augsburg increasingly administered their estates from here. In the years 1458 to 1520, the medieval fortified castle was converted into a castle in the Gothic style . The north wing was extended by the St. John's Palace Chapel and a west and east wing were added.

Bishop Christoph von Stadion was forced by a council decree of the Free Imperial City of Augsburg, which had become Lutheran, in 1537 to leave the city and move his residence to Dillingen. He never returned to Augsburg and died in 1543. His successor, Cardinal Otto Truchseß von Waldburg , expanded the castle by a south wing and the round tower on the south-west corner, the so-called Holy Tower (with round chapel). He also had the west wing raised by one floor, and in 1595 the north-west tower was raised. The builder Hans Alberthal was responsible for the new construction of the staircase.

The castle underwent a massive change in the 18th century when Johann Caspar Bagnato attempted to convert it into a classic Baroque castle from 1737 to 1740 . At this time, under Prince-Bishop Johann Franz Schenk von Stauffenberg, the round court of honor and the gatehouse in the north of the palace complex were built. This created a straight line connection directly to the city. The episcopal military was housed in two smaller buildings to the right and left of the gatehouse.

The secularization of 1802/1803 meant the end of Dillingen Castle as an episcopal residence. In the course of time, there were repeated modifications and changes. Despite the damage to the valuable building structure, the monumental building has retained its medieval defensive character, clearly visible u. a. on the hump square masonry on the southern outer wall in the vestibule of the great hall and in the northern area of ​​the east wall.

On December 12, 1994, a memorial plaque was unveiled in the Dillinger Schlosshof, commemorating the fate of Barbara Zielhauser, who was executed as a witch 250 years ago. The memorial for the victims of the witch trials was presented by the Rotary Club of the city of Dillingen. It was designed by the artist Hans Malzer.

Todays use

Today (2009) the tax office is housed in the former residence of the Augsburg prince-bishops. Several parts of the building, especially the small knight's hall with its emblematic wooden ceiling and the castle courtyard, are the scene of vernissages, festivals and market events. To the east of the mighty complex is the courtyard garden and the former castle brewery built in 1764. West of the castle you get to the Bruckörle with its two onion domes , the former gateway to the medieval castle. In the buildings of the former castle guard rooms of the district and city savings bank Dillingen and a restaurant are housed.

literature

  • District and Stadtsparkasse Dillingen : Schlösser im Landkreis , Dillingen 2002, pp. 1–13.
  • Werner Meyer: Dillingen on the Danube - from the state castle to the baroque palace , in: Castles and palaces . Volume I, 1971, pp. 20-23.

Web links

Commons : Dillingen Castle on the Danube  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kreis- und Stadtsparkasse Dillingen 2002, p. 12

Coordinates: 48 ° 34 ′ 34.7 "  N , 10 ° 29 ′ 40.7"  E