Rötz Castle

Listed house in Rötz Hussenstraße 17

Rötz Castle, which only exists in ruins, is located in the Upper Palatinate town of Rötz in the Cham district of Bavaria (Hussenstrasse 17). The former care lock is located between the so-called Hussen- and the water gate on a weak terrace north of the Schwarzach .

history

The first mention of Rötz comes from 1017, at that time Emperor Heinrich II handed over the village of Retsiz inferior to the diocese of Bamberg . Rötz is first referred to as a market in 1299 and was part of the Schwarzenburg rule . Pabo de Rehce, mentioned in the 12th century, may be attributed to the ministry of the Schwarzenburgs. A Ruger de Rehce appears in a Schönthal document in 1298 . Wolfram von Rötz is mentioned in 1304 as a citizen of Cham. His son Ulrich von Rötz is an Augustinian hermit in 1303 in Schönthal Abbey. In 1297 his brothers Berthold, Konrad, Dietmar and Peter also appear. A Heinrich von Rötz is also mentioned in a monastery document in 1317 and another Heinrich the Rötzer in 1345. This noble family had their seat in the area of ​​the later castle. Even when the country was divided in 1331, “zu Retz… a hwasung is lehen” appears.

After the Rötzer became extinct, ownership passed to the “ Satzenhofer zum Frauenstein” family. They were followed by the Henkelmann family at the end of the 15th century. The north wing of the complex that still exists today could have been built under these. In 1522, Wolfgang Eittenharter zu Flischbach acquired the property.

From the 15th century Rötz was also the seat of a judge. The first holder of office was Konrad Rotpeck in 1408 and Ulrich Prucker in 1422, but they did not have their official residence in the former Rötzer complex. In 1507 the city fortifications were rebuilt and the palace complex was also included; at that time it received an additional defense tower. In 1509, Rötz became the seat of a newly created nursing home, although the nurse continued to sit on the Schwarzenburg.

Rötz on the Baierische Landtafel from 1568 by Philipp Apian

Rötz Castle changed hands several times in the 16th century. From 1522 to 1524 Anna von Bernklau was the owner, followed by Georg von Rornstett until 1536, then the Lords of Murach were here and Elisabeth Hofer was the owner between 1545 and 1565. The town clerk of Rötz, Hans Halbritter, bought the building from her, and his heirs sold it in 1597 to the keeper Lukas Hartlieb († 1616). After 1616 the new owner was a Tobias Pilgl. His successor, Hans Jakon Pilgl, had to leave the country as a Protestant .

The building was probably badly damaged during the Thirty Years War when the Swedes took the city in 1641. During the reconstruction, only the north wing with a characteristic stepped gable was created , the tower was also demolished.

After the Pilgls, Engelbert von Hirschau rented the castle in 1652. In 1656 it was acquired by the Schönthal monastery clerk Hanns Ruprecht. In 1669 extensive renovation measures by the electoral government for what is now the nursing home are documented. Between 1716 and 1720 the castle served as a cavalry barracks. In 1803 the Rötz nursing court was lifted and the castle was used as a school from 1803 to 1840 and partly as a brewery from 1832. In 1840 Rötz was devastated by a fire and the facility was built in its present form in 1842.

Rötz Castle today

The castle, which was used as a brewery from 1842, is a two-storey hipped roof building with round and arched openings. It was built over older foundations. The farm buildings, a three-wing complex with half-hipped roofs and a tower, are essentially medieval and were rebuilt over the foundations of the former care castle, the so-called castle property, in the 19th century. The three-story east wing now serves as a brewhouse. The main building has a round arched passage. The previously existing stepped gable facade, like the previously existing facade bay windows, fell victim to the fire of 1840. The surrounding wall is likely to be of late medieval origin. Baroque vaults are still preserved inside the east wing .

literature

• Bernhard Ernst: Castle building in the southeastern Upper Palatinate from the early Middle Ages to the early modern period, Part II catalog (=  work on the archeology of southern Germany . Volume 16 ). Dr. Faustus, Büchenbach 2001, ISBN 3-933474-20-5 .

Web links

• Entry on Rötz Castle in the private database "Alle Burgen".
• Entry on Schloss Rötz in the scientific database " EBIDAT " of the European Castle Institute

Coordinates: 49 ° 20 ′ 31.3 "  N , 12 ° 31 ′ 33.2"  E