Wächtersbach Castle

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Wächtersbach Castle
Wächtersbach Castle

Wächtersbach Castle

Castle type : Niederungsburg
Conservation status: Received or received substantial parts
Standing position : Noble
Place: Waechtersbach
Geographical location 50 ° 15 '32 "  N , 9 ° 17' 10"  E Coordinates: 50 ° 15 '32 "  N , 9 ° 17' 10"  E
Height: 170  m above sea level NN
Wächtersbach Castle (Hesse)
Wächtersbach Castle

The Wächtersbach Castle is a lowland castle at about 170 m above sea level. NN in Wächtersbach ( Main-Kinzig-Kreis , Hessen ).

history

The lock

The Wächtersbach Castle goes back to a Hohenstaufen hunting and security system for the Büdingen Forest , built towards the end of the 12th century by the Lords of Büdingen on behalf of Emperor Friedrich I. Barbarossa . The settlement that was created under the protection of this complex was first mentioned in 1236 in a document from the nearby Selbold monastery (see Langenselbold ), which had land and income here. At this time the place is called Weichirsbach , which means something like "The brook that feeds the ponds" . In the 13th century the complex was converted into a moated castle; Remnants of the water areas that used to surround them are still visible today with the ponds in the castle park. The castle was first mentioned in a document in 1324. As part of the security systems for the old Königsland Wetterau , the fortress served to protect the castle complexes in Gelnhausen (→ Pfalz Gelnhausen ) and Büdingen (→ Büdingen Castle ) and the seat of one of the twelve foresters responsible for the preservation .

In the first half of the 16th century, the Wächtersbach moated castle was expanded for the first time by Count Anton von Isenburg-Büdingen-Ronneburg (1501–1560), the founder of the Ysenburg-Ronneburg county . Count Anton and his wife Elisabeth (1509–1542) are still reminiscent of the alliance coat of arms , in one half of which a hoopoe represents the family of the wife, a von Wied born .

The Wächtersbach brewery was founded in 1578, initially as a count and later as a princely brewery (finally closed in 2008).

The city of Wächtersbach and its castle also suffered a lot during the 30-year war. It was Count Johann Ernst I of Isenburg-Büdingen (1625–1673) who made it habitable again for his wedding to Countess Marie Charlotte von Erbach . He later expanded it and added other buildings and a pleasure garden with a fountain.

After the division of the County of Isenburg in 1684, the castle gradually became the seat of the newly established Ysenburg-Büdingen-Wächtersbach line under Count Ferdinand Maximilian I and his successors from 1687 . The Marstall was built in 1718 , the Rentkammer in 1736 and the Princess House in 1750. A large farm yard was also part of the ensemble.

After the dissolution of the old German Empire and the founding of the Rhine Confederation , the Büdingischen count lines, the special lines of the house Ysenburg and Büdingen, lost their imperial immediacy , they were mediatized , but also subsequently had sufficient income as landlords in the German Confederation , especially from the 1812 Allodifizierung of Büdinger forests and thereby made for the use and supply of the count's family transfer of ownership of parts of the Büdinger forest (next to the stem portion Wächtersbach also extinct in the first half of the 20th century, families of the tribe parts Büdingen and sea timber ), and from several Hofgütern (Domains; see the political discussion about the domain question during the Weimar Republic ). This was the last great measure 1816 Located in the courtyard of the castle dungeon laid down while maintaining the ditches are filled.

Owner of Wächtersbach Castle from the Ysenburg family from 1384 to 1687

Anton von Ysenburg-Büdingen (1501–1560)
Count Wolfgang Ernst I of Isenburg-Büdingen
  • Johann I. 1384 --- 1395
  • John II. 1395 --- 1408
  • Diether I. 1408 --- 1461
  • Ludwig II. 1461 --- 1477
  • John IV. 1477 --- 1497
  • Ludwig II. 1497 --- 1511
  • Philip
  • Diether II. 1511 --- 1517
  • Johann V.
  • Diether II. 1517 --- 1521
  • Anton 1521 --- 1560
  • George 1560 --- 1576
  • Wolfgang 1576 --- 1597
  • Heinrich 1597 --- 1601
  • Wolfgang Ernst 1601 --- 1628
  • Ludwig Arnold
  • Johann Ernst 1662 --- 1673
  • Marie Charlotte 1673 --- 1687

The castle park

In the wooded area around Wächtersbach, the park next to the castle has always played a prominent role. It has seen many changes over the centuries. Its comprehensible history begins with a tour to determine the boundaries of an "animal garden" by Count Johann Ernst I. zu Ysenburg-Büdingen and his servants in 1666. The planned animal enclosure was a fashionable facility at the time. It served the representation, but also the satisfaction of the Count's lust for hunting . Last but not least, it fulfilled the task of enriching the stately table and storing it. The execution of the animal enclosure was entrusted to the steward Johann Georg Mohr with all the necessary precautions and trades (exchange of land, enclosures, equipment, animal stocking, etc.) .

A pleasure garden was also built next to the zoo . It was close to the farm yard and the castle, which had been rebuilt after the Thirty Years War . The cellar, which still exists today, was also built during this time, in which vegetables and fruits were stored as supplies. A summer terrace was later built over the cellar.

The park only underwent a major change from 1816 onwards. At this point in time, the moats surrounding the castle were removed by backfilling. The pleasure garden near the castle disappeared again or grew together with the former zoo to form a new unit, the castle park, of the English style landscape park .

The garden architect Johannes Bodenbender was commissioned with the planning in 1840. The explanations were probably made in one go and are still in line with the traditional Bodenbender plan, which is traceable down to the last detail on the road network. Although the park in Wächtersbach is much smaller, they followed similar principles to the Wörlitz Park, which was already completed at the time . Curved paths connected individual meadow areas that were interrupted by groups of trees. In the center was a pond with a large island (still recognizable as a peninsula today), which is divided in two by a straight castle driveway. Flower beds , azaleas and rhododendron hedges and solitary planted exotic trees are destination points of view axes einplante the landscape architect Bodenbender against the backdrop of the passing of beech and oak mountain forest. This nearby mountain forest, which cannot be separated from the park, was once a pure, carefully planted and well-tended oak forest, which was criss-crossed by hornbeam hedges that were only low, about hip to shoulder high, for visual separation. Remnants of the former hedges still shape the appearance of the under forest today, while the oaks have often been replaced by naturally regrown beeches.

One of the main axes of the park followed the castle driveway, to the porter's house with a representative entrance gate and over the initially still existing surrounding wall to the east. This wall was made of the locally available sandstone. A particularly attractive place within the landscape park was a small plateau on the slope, a little to the east, above the castle. Bodenbender had an attractive tulip tree planted here (which fell victim to the storm disaster of 1958). This prominent point was given five lines of sight leading down into the valley . Despite the forest that has expanded in the meantime, they are still easy to understand. A field demarcation, which is now planted except for a small clearing, used to form a natural upper boundary between the park and the forest. It can still be seen and recognized from below, if you follow the large rhododendron axis uphill with your eyes.

One of the special features of the park was a swimming pond with a changing house (it can be found in the extension of the rear line of sight, which is now partially disturbed by wild growth and which leads past the forester's house). There was also a rock cellar called "Eiskeller". The castle brewery stored ice in it for the warm season, but it was also where the fresh game was hung. A small " hermitage ", also known as the hermitage , was set up on this ice cellar . It is not known for sure whether a professional “hermit”, a so-called ornament hermit, lived here in the 19th century, as is customary elsewhere . What is certain, however, is that the hermitage served a Frankfurt citizen as a (makeshift) apartment after the Second World War. A neat pheasantry made of dry clay bricks was also one of the facilities within the landscape park. Still available, but no longer used, is the Otto-Friedrich-Quelle, the former drinking water supply for the pheasantry and castle, including the filter system. They are each housed in their own small buildings.

A pyramid oak was a rarity. It was near the castle. The Prince of Ysenburg and Büdingen in Wächtersbach had a lightning rod attached to it to protect the castle. To the delight of the prince, he performed this task in an excellent manner and repeatedly offered spectacular spectacles of lightning strikes, which, however, took place without damaging the oak. The pyramid oak has since been felled and replaced by a new plant.

After the royal family moved to Büdingen and as a result of the castle fire in 1939, it was neglected for decades. The park was very badly dilapidated and dilapidated both in the planting and in the paths. Thanks to the care provided by the private sponsorship association Schloss + Park Wächtersbach, which was founded especially for this purpose, it has regained a good part of its historical furnishings, including the Rosenallee as the entrance portal. On the basis of an initiative of the Friends' Association and the Wächtersbach Home and History Association, an educational tree trail was laid out in the park in 2001. It is maintained by the two associations, in cooperation with the volunteer fire brigade and the city of Wächtersbach.

Schlossgarten Wächtersbach plan Bodenbender

In the 1950s and 1960s, the research institute for forestry and woodworking was located in the rear part of the castle park, and some trees, such as two sequoias, also came from the experimental plantings. In the castle park there are at least 48 remarkable ones, e.g. Sometimes rare trees and bushes that were planted for “test purposes”, as the princes of Ysenburg were active in forestry and thus studied the growth and profitability of the respective trees under local climatic conditions. As a result, you can still find a variety of different, non-native trees in the park today. Some exotic trees, such as a trumpet tree and a tulip tree, date back to the time of the garden architect Bodenbender. Directly at the castle is a ginkgo tree over 150 years old , which was a curiosity and attraction when it was planted.

A significant change in terms of area and structure, at the expense of the ensemble of palace and park, was the laying down of the surrounding wall, with the setting back of the entrance gate to the pond, as well as the construction of the Volksbank building and the parking lot behind the gatehouse. As part of a property swap, the castle park became the property of the city of Wächtersbach and thus the general public. Together with the castle, it represents a listed ensemble, which is framed by a beautiful and picturesque old town.

Todays use

The noble family of Ysenburg and Büdingen in Wächtersbach , who were prince in 1865 , left Wächtersbach Castle after the fire and moved into the castle in Büdingen . After the fire damage had been repaired, the castle served different purposes during and after the war. When the last tenant, the German Development Service, who used it as a training facility until the 1970s, moved out, it stood empty for around 40 years. There were also hardly any substance-preserving measures. The castle was therefore in poor condition.

The Globus Group bought the property in 2013 and wanted to renovate it for around seven million euros. After the renovation, the city administration of Wächtersbach should use the building. In return, the Globus Group wanted to expand its area. In 2016 the castle was bought by the city of Wächtersbach and is being extensively renovated on its own; the measure is supported not only by the city of Wächtersbach, the state of Hesse and the Federal Republic of Germany, but also by the German Foundation for Monument Protection with funds from the GlücksSpirale lottery . After gutting, extensive renovation and renovation, since 2017, the castle will be occupied in its new function as the town hall of Wächtersbach in February 2020

investment

  • four-wing, three-storey moated castle
  • square, right-angled base
  • Round towers with a welscher hood
  • Inner courtyard with stair tower from 1875 and arcaded stairs

  • View of the castle in need of renovation

  • Entrance portal of the Rentkammer

  • The princess house

  • Epitaphs in the castle park

literature

  • Waltraud Friedrich: Cultural monuments in Hessen. Main-Kinzig district II.2. Gelnhausen, Gründau, Hasselroth, Jossgrund, Linsengericht, Wächtersbach. Published by the State Office for Monument Preservation Hessen , Theiss, Wiesbaden / Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-8062-2469-6 , pp. 885–891 ( Monument topography Federal Republic of Germany ).
  • Georg Ulrich Großmann : South Hesse. Art guide. Imhof, Petersberg 2004, ISBN 3-935590-66-0 , p. 150f.
  • Rolf Müller (Ed.): Palaces, castles, old walls. Published by the Hessendienst der Staatskanzlei, Wiesbaden 1990, ISBN 3-89214-017-0 , pp. 353f.
  • Jürgen Ackermann: Thiergarten-Lustgarten-Schlosspark-Stadtwald near the castle in Wächtersbach . Collective business Wächtersbach, 58 L., October 2011, No. 400, 6 pp.
  • Dagmar Reimers: Wächtersbach Castle and the Ysenburgers . SGW No. 331, 2007, p. 13 ff.
  • Johannes Wolf: The Wächtersbacher Schlossgarten. A landscape park at the foot of the Büdinger Forest , Samml. Gesch. Wächtersbach, 28 L., August 1998, No. 173, 8 pp.
  • Adolf Seibig, From the pyramid oak at Schloss Wächtersbach - a "Hessian architectural monument" , collection Gesch. Wächtersbach, No. 85, 1990
  • Altstadtförderverein - Ed., Wächtersbach-The whole castle park, a cultural gem in the middle Kinzig valley , Nov. 2019

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Angela Metzner: Reichslandpolitik, aristocracy and castles - studies on the Wetterau in the Staufer time. In: Büdinger Geschichtsblätter 21, 2008/2009, p. 120.
  2. ↑ Carl Hessler (Ed.): Hessische Landes- und Volkskunde: The former Kurhessen and the hinterland at the end of the 19th century. , Volume 1, Part 1, Elwert, Marburg 1907, p. 695
  3. ↑ Johannes Wolf: The Wächtersbacher Schlossgarten. A landscape park at the foot of the Büdinger Forest, Samml. Gesch. Wächtersbach, 28 L., August 1998, No. 173, 8 S., S. 1
  4. ↑ Jürgen Ackermann, "Count Anton zu Ysenburg-Kelsterbach Missheurath caused his Count's family vilen unkust" Samml. Gesch. Wächtersbach, 41. L., January 2003, no. 265, ISSN  0931-2641
  5. ↑ Jürgen Ackermann, "Count Anton zu Ysenburg-Kelsterbach Missheurath caused his Count's family vilen unkust" Samml. Gesch. Wächtersbach, 41. L., January 2003, no. 265, ISSN  0931-2641
  6. ↑ D. Reimers, Schloss Wächtersbach and the Ysenburger, pp. 14–15
  7. ↑ Dr. Reimers, Dagmar, "1650: A post-war wedding in Schloss zu Wächtersbach", 1987, 4.3.1.6
  8. ↑ Jürgen Ackermann, Samml. Gesch. Wächtersbach, 58 serial, October 2011, No. 400, 6 p., Page 4
  9. ↑ Dagmar Reimers, Schloss Wächtersbach and the Ysenburger, Samml. Gesch. Wächtersbach, 48th L., January 2007, No. 331, 16 S., ISSN  0931-2641
  10. ↑ Jürgen Ackermann, Samml. Gesch. Wächtersbach, 58 serial, October 2011, No. 400, 6 pages, page 1
  11. ↑ Jürgen Ackermann, Samml. Gesch. Wächtersbach, 58 serial, October 2011, No. 400, 6 pages, page 2
  12. ↑ Dagmar Reimers, Schloss Wächtersbach and the Ysenburger , SGW No. 331, 2007, p. 13
  13. ↑ Johannes Wolf Der Wächtersbacher Schlossgarten, A landscape park at the foot of the Büdinger Forest in the newsletter of the Main-Kinzig Natural History Agency, 5th year (1993), Issue 3, pp. 16-30
  14. ↑ Jürgen Ackermann, Samml. Gesch. Wächtersbach, 58 serial, October 2011, No. 400, 6 pages, pages 4 and 5
  15. ↑ Altstadtförderverein - Ed., Wächtersbach-The whole castle park, A cultural gem in the middle Kinzig valley , Nov. 2019
  16. ↑ Jürgen Ackermann, Samml. Gesch. Wächtersbach, 58 serial, October 2011, No. 400, 6 p., Page 5
  17. ↑ Adolf Seibig, From the pyramid oak at Schloss Wächtersbach - a "Hessian architectural monument" , collection Gesch. Wächtersbach, No. 85, 1990
  18. ↑ Jürgen Ackermann, Samml. Gesch. Wächtersbach, 58 serial, October 2011, No. 400, 6 p., Page 5
  19. ↑ Otto Fiegler, The Tree Trail in the Wächtersbach Castle Park, SGW No. 329, 2007
  20. ↑ Johannes Wolf Der Wächtersbacher Schlossgarten, ... , pp. 25–28
  21. ↑ Johannes Wolf Der Wächtersbacher Schlossgarten, ... , p. 26 f.
  22. ↑ Luise Glaser-Lotz, Wächtersbach: Castle sales with domino effect. In: FAZ.net . February 7, 2013, accessed December 12, 2014 .
  23. ↑ Home - Wächtersbach Castle. In: www.schloss-waechtersbach.de. Retrieved June 19, 2016 .
  24. ↑ German Foundation for Monument Protection (Ed.): Proximity to the citizen guaranteed - New use: The city administration moves into Wächtersbach Castle. Monuments - Magazine for Monument Culture in Germany, Volume 27, No. 6, December 2017 pp. 50–52 ISSN  0941-7125
  25. ^ Rebirth of a princely seat in FAZ of April 8, 2017, page 42