Kleinbardorf Castle

Kleinbardorf moated castle

The Kleinbardorf Castle is located on the northwestern edge of the Haßberge in the Sulzfeld district of Kleinbardorf in the Rhön-Grabfeld district ( Lower Franconia ). The small moated castle is in good condition and is still inhabited.

history

Kleinbardorf is overlooked by the Judenhügel , the high plateau of which bears a large, originally prehistoric ring wall . The impressive walls visible today, however, go back to an early medieval expansion. The fortification was called "Wartburg" until the 17th century.

In the 14th century there was a customs post of the Counts of Henneberg in the village, which the Würzburg Monastery acquired in 1368. Ten years later Dietrich and Conrad von Bibra bought this customs post. In the following decades the von Bibra acquired further property in Kleinbardorf. In 1508 Hans von Bibra submitted to the feudal sovereignty of the Würzburg monastery. The preserved mansion was built in 1589/90 under Heinrich von Bibra in simple Renaissance forms and was renovated and rebuilt in 1766 by the von Guttenberg family. This fiefdom was withdrawn from the bishopric in 1602 after the death of the childless Heinrich von Bibra. The relatives of the deceased protested in front of the Imperial Court. The process dragged on until 1681, when the family was reassigned the property.

In 1687 the Bibra sold the estate and castle to the Dutch Lieutenant General Waibnom. In 1691 the barons von Guttenberg acquired the property. After a good 200 years, the descendants sold the lands to seven farmers from the community in 1896. Since 1965 the castle has served as a private residence again and has been extensively renovated by the owners. The Hofer family, who owns it, exhibits contemporary art in and around the palace, including a sculpture path along the barget.

description

The three-storey palace building stands on a brick, square terrace , which is protected all around by moats with lining walls . A small round bastion is added to the southwest corner . Access is granted by a stone bridge in the east, which is flanked by four sandstone pillars with spherical attachments.

The rectangular main building is kept simple, but is enlivened in the north by a strong, four-storey stair tower with a tail dome. The main portal is to the left of the stair tower, which can be accessed through its own entrance. Both portals are architecturally richly structured and have tablets with building inscriptions (16th century). Eight ancestral coats of arms flank the words on the tower portal:

"GOT DER HER BEHVTE DIS HAVS
ALL THOSE IN AND AVS
HEINRICH VON VND ZV BIBRA
KLEINBARDORF VND SCHWEBHEIM"

The marriage coat of arms of von Bibra and von Erthal is carved over it. On the main portal is the inscription:

"ZVVOR AN OLD HAVS HIE STVND
THE READ CANCEL AVF THE GRVND
AS A + TAVSENT + FVNFHVNDERT + IAHR
NEVN + VND + ECHTZIG + DIE + IAHRZAL + TRUE
HEINRICH VON BIBRA THE EHRNVEST
READ THIS BAV"

The castle has a hipped roof with dormers bent in the lower part .

On the Jewish hill above the town there is a large prehistoric ring wall that was built in the early Middle Ages. The inner surface of the fortification has served as an Israelite cemetery for almost 30 communities in the surrounding area since 1574. The Protestant imperial knighthood in the area had taken in numerous Jewish families who had to pay protection money for them. Today there are still around 4400 tombstones. The complex is considered to be the largest Jewish cemetery in Bavaria.

literature

The art monuments of the Kingdom of Bavaria. Volume 3: Administrative region of Lower Franconia & Aschaffenburg. = The art monuments of Lower Franconia & Aschaffenburg. Issue 13: Hans Karlinger : District Office Königshofen. With a historical introduction by Hans Ring. Oldenbourg, Munich 1915 (Unchanged reprint. Ibid 1983, ISBN 3-486-50467-3 ).
Fritz Mahnke: Palaces and castles in the vicinity of the Franconian Crown. 2nd volume. Druck- und Verlagsanstalt Neue Presse, Coburg 1978.
Anton Rahrbach, Jörg Schöffl, Otto Schramm: Palaces and fortresses in Lower Franconia. A complete representation of all palaces, manors, castles and ruins in the Lower Franconian independent cities and districts. Hofmann, Nürnberg 2002, ISBN 3-87191-309-X .
Reinhold WF Heusinger, Gerwin K. Solf: Kleinbardorf community Sulzfeld. In: Contributions to local history. Mellrichstadt 1989.

Web links

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

50.274011111111 10.400186111111Coordinates: 50 ° 16 '26.4 " N , 10 ° 24' 0.7" E