Neunburg Castle in front of the forest

View of Neunburg after an engraving by Matthäus Merian from 1665

Old Castle (Neunburg vorm Wald)

Castle gate to Neunburg Castle in front of the forest

The nine-castle vorm Wald (also known as Old Castle , Knights' Hall , or popularly known as Gürnitz called) is located in the town of Neunburg vorm Wald in the district Schwandorf .

location

The castle and town of Neunburg are located on a granite tongue that stretches in an east-west direction to the Schwarzach . The place lies on a triangular plateau. The Rötzbach flows on the south side and flows into the Schwarzach immediately below the triangle tip. The mountain tongue reaches a height of 380 m above sea level and is about 20 m higher than the two rivers. The location was very suitable for the construction of a fortification, as one only had to create a neck ditch on the east side in order to protect oneself against an attack from this side.

The old castle or the old castle was at the top of the triangle described. The oldest development is believed to be in the area of today's rectory and the city parish church; the current church tower used to be the keep of the castle. In the course of time, other parts to the east of the moat were included in the fortification. A new neck ditch was built here and secured with walls; the former moat became a sectional moat. The castle and town fortifications that began in the 14th century were completed in the 15th century. The Hussite invasion of 1418 is said to have failed because of the city walls. Duke Johann der Neunburger is said to have strengthened the fortifications. The fortification consists of a curtain wall with a presented kennel and wall towers. On the south side there was a wide pond ditch in front of it, as well as in front of the eastern neck ditch.

history

Neunburg is first mentioned as a castle town in a document from Emperor Heinrich II. From 1017, who transferred this area to the Bamberg diocese and used the name Niwnburg to localize this donation . In 1129 Pertold de Niwenbruch testified to a transfer of ownership between the Regensburg and Bamburg bishops. Because of its designation, this is to be assigned to the primates and not the ministerials . Shortly afterwards, Margrave Diepold transferred the Denchelingen (= Denglarn ) estate , which his vassal nobilis vir Pilgrimus de Nuwenburch had previously owned, to the Reichenbach monastery , probably at his own request ; however, his family contradicted this transfer and so it did not materialize. Pertholdus de Nuwenburch , brother of the aforementioned Pilgrimus, appears as a witness in a document in 1129. In 1133 a document names Erchenbertus and Werinhardus de Nuwenburch as Diepoldische Ministeriale. A dominus or as liber homo called Berchtoldus de Nuenburc is mentioned in a deed of donation of the Bamberg bishop Eberhardus II of February 12, 1150. The bishop confirms that the dominus Berchtoldus de Swarzenburc has transferred his goods Doberseze and reading to Bertholdus de Nuenburc because of his upcoming cruise to Jerusalem and that Bertholdus de Nuenburc is to transfer these goods to the Michelsberg monastery in Bamberg in the event of his death . The Ministeriale Werinhart de Nuwenburch attests to a deed of donation from Lukardis de Mura in favor of the Reichenbach Monastery around 1140 . Around 1160 Meginhardus the Maister de Wewenburch et de Wartsperch is listed among the nobilis homines in a document from Engilscaldus nobilis homo de Wasin , which is headed by Chunradus Dux de Dachouwe . From this it is concluded that the named Meginhardus was a vassal of Conrad II, Count von Dachau . In 1179 a Sigefridus de Niwnburg hands over his homo Ortolfus de Pisingen (= Pösing ) as a censor to the St. Emmeram monastery .

In the first half of the 12th century the castle belonged to the domain of Countess Adelheid von Warberg , this Adelheid was the daughter of Heinrich von Limburg, and the granddaughter of Bodo von Pottenstein. After their death († around 1144), Count Gebhard III. von Sulzbach inheritance claims on the Countess's legacies. Gerhard's daughter, Elisabeth von Sulzbach , brought Neunburg to her husband, Count Rapoto I von Ortenburg, in 1159 . These families had Neunburg administered by castle keepers who named themselves after Neunburg. In 1218 a Konrad Popst von Neuchâtel appeared as such in an exchange of goods. Anna von Ortenburg was with Friedrich VI. von Truhendingen married and he sold Neunburg in 1261 to Duke Ludwig II of Wittelsbach . At this point in time, Neunburg was already known as an oppidum . In the Duke's Surbar of 1285, Niwenburch is registered as an official seat next to Warperch .

On November 13, 1323, Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian exempted the city from all taxes for a period of eight years so that it could build a city wall. At that time Neunburg was referred to as civitas , which clearly proves the place's rise to a city. In Pavia's house contract of 1329, Neunburg, like Schwarzeneck, fell to the nephews of King Ludwig, Rudolf and Ruprecht . Under Ruprecht II , Neunburg vorm Wald became a royal seat of the Palatinate Wittelsbach family in 1354.

Siege of Neunburg vorm Wald by imperial and Bavarian soldiers

In the Thirty Years War Neunburg was taken by the Swedes in 1634. Under the pressure of the occupiers, the wall was repaired and the Upper Gate was renewed in 1636. In 1641 the city occupied by the Swedes was retaken by the imperial and Palatinate troops.

architecture

The castle gate leading from the mountain road is a semicircular, overbuilt archway in a cut in the granite rock. On the outside there are two more corbels for the portcullis . At the top of the castle hill is the Old Castle of Neunburg or the Dürnitzstock , which temporarily housed the Royal District Court. The Dürnitz dates from the first half of the 15th century, its name comes from the large hall on the first floor, which was intended as a dining room but also as a room for consultations. When the court at Neunburg was lost, the Dürnitz was used for other purposes (e.g. as an office box or in 1749 as an official caste). In 1857 the Dürnitz was completely rebuilt for the district court according to plans by Voit. An outside bay window on the north side that was still in place at the time was later demolished.

literature

Georg Hager: City fortifications and castle . In: The art monuments of the Kingdom of Bavaria . tape 2 : District of Upper Palatinate and Regensburg , Book 2: District Office Neunburg v. W . R. Oldenbourg, Munich 1983, ISBN 3-486-50432-0 , p. 41–57 ( archive.org - first edition: 1906, reprint).
Wilhelm Nutzinger: Neunburg vorm Wald (= Historical Atlas of Bavaria. Issue 52: Part of Old Bavaria ). Commission for Bavarian History, Verlag Michael Lassleben, Munich 1982, ISBN 3-7696-9928-9 , pp. 230-240 u. a.

Web links

Commons : Altes Schloss (Neunburg vorm Wald) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Neunburg, remains of the former castle

Individual evidence

^ Georg Hager: District Office Neunburg VW R. Oldenbourg, Munich 1906, section Die Dürnitz , p. 52 ( archive.org ).

49.34906 12.3839 390Coordinates: 49 ° 20 ′ 56.6 ″ N , 12 ° 23 ′ 2 ″ E

[1] Georg Hager: District Office Neunburg VW R. Oldenbourg, Munich 1906, section Die Dürnitz , p. 52 ( archive.org ).