Starkenburg (castle)

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Starkenburg
The Starkenburg and the Schlossberg

The Starkenburg and the Schlossberg

Alternative name (s): Burcheldon, Starkimberg
Creation time : 1065
Castle type : Hilltop castle
Conservation status: Received or received substantial parts
Place: Heppenheim
Geographical location 49 ° 38 '46 "  N , 8 ° 38' 55"  E Coordinates: 49 ° 38 '46 "  N , 8 ° 38' 55"  E
Height: 295  m above sea level NN
Starkenburg (Hesse)
Starkenburg

The Starkenburg is a hilltop castle at 295  m above sea level. NN on the Schlossberg above Heppenheim an der Bergstrasse . She is the namesake of the former southern Hessian province of Starkenburg .

History of the Starkenburg

The castle was built in 1065 to protect the Lorsch monastery . At first the name was Burcheldon . The name Starkimberg was first mentioned in 1206. In the eventful history of the monastery, the castle has always offered refuge and protection for the monks.

As the second strongest fortress in the Electorate of Mainz , it covered the Mainzer Bergstrasse. In 1765 the castle was abandoned and fell into disrepair.

On Wednesday, October 22, 1924, the dilapidated was keep the Starkenburg blown up at 14:45. The blasting of the structure with walls up to three meters thick in the basement was a major action: 1500 cubic meters of stones had to be blown away.

If the demolition of the old, originally 28-meter-high keep was unavoidable due to its structural condition, the new construction of the keep, which was completed by 1930 (with the exception of the spire that was not put on until 1957), was an avoidable violation of the interests of monument protection. Instead of being in the middle of the courtyard, the new building was placed at the west entrance to gain more open space in the courtyard.

investment

Today the ruin is a listed building and is managed by the Hessian Real Estate Management (since 2016: Landesbetrieb Bau und Immobilien Hessen ). In the place of the former residential building, the Palas , there has been a youth hostel since 1960 , operated by the German Youth Hostel Association.

Due to the severe deterioration of the complex in the 19th century, little of the historical structure has been preserved. In addition to the south-east corner of the palace, these include the entrenchments , which are still recognizable today in the forest area in front of the castle.

In the course of road construction work in the outdoor area in the run-up to the Hessentag in Heppenheim in 2004, the buried entrance gate of the original castle complex was found in the south-western area of ​​the complex. The work to secure the structure, which was connected with a reorganization of the circular route, lasted until 2006.

There are only a few records of the historical appearance of the Starkenburg, as much of the archive material was lost in the state archive there on September 11, 1944 when Darmstadt was bombed . The few existing engravings and etchings give little information about the inner division of the castle complex and the buildings that used to exist there. The numerous attempts at reconstruction (including a model in the foyer of the youth hostel on the Starkenburg) differ greatly in many details.

Towers

There are still seven towers on the Starkenburg, which are in varying degrees of preservation. Of the four originally existing fortified towers at the corners of the main castle, three still exist, each rising about 16 meters above the castle courtyard. Information boards can be found on some of the towers, in some cases also embedded stone tablets with historical information.

The square keep, newly built between 1928 and 1930 on the western edge of the main castle, has an edge length of approx. 8.6 meters, houses part of the youth hostel in the 38-meter-high tower and offers a closed, glazed viewing platform on the top floor , which is freely accessible during opening hours is. Access to the tower is via a covered stone staircase attached to the side, which leads to the first floor.

The mightiest of the defense towers is the northeast tower, also called the Hambach Tower , built in the 14th century , which has a slightly elliptical floor plan with a diameter of approx. 6.5 to 7.1 meters (approx. 7.1 in the area of ​​the overhanging ornate crenellated crown up to 7.7 meters). The entrance is on the southwest side of the tower inside the castle courtyard, but is closed with a lattice door.

The southeast tower, also called Kirschhäuser Tower or Kirschhäuser Defense Tower , is a round brick tower with a diameter of approx. 5.1 meters (approx. 5.4 meters in the area of ​​the crenellated crown, which was probably renovated in 1903). It also dates from the 14th century. Two stone tablets with inscriptions are embedded in its outer wall, one of which contains two cannonballs that were found here in 1836. The access is outside the castle courtyard in the upper Zwinger on the south side of the tower and is also locked. At the upper edge of the adjoining partly ruined wall there is a barred exit to the former battlement. A special feature are the loopholes with a foot in the form of a stirrup, which were probably retrofitted for the use of firearms in the 15th century.

The southwest tower was completely rebuilt in 1964 instead of a predecessor from the 14th century and is similar in many details to the southeast tower. In 2004 it was provided with a metal spiral staircase as part of the Hessentag. It has a diameter of 5 meters (in the area of ​​the battlements 5.3 meters) and towers over the upper Zwinger on its south side by 18.45 meters. Access is from the castle courtyard via eight steps and two longer paragraphs along the side wall to the slightly higher entrance on the northeast side of the tower. Inside there are another 67 steps and 3 landings before you reach the viewing platform 12.8 meters above the entrance (16.6 meters above the upper kennel). A high flagpole is attached to one of the six battlements. About halfway up the stairs there is a barred exit to the former battlement of the adjacent wall. From the platform you have a very good view of Heppenheim, along the mountain road and into the Rhine plain .

The snail tower with its seven pinnacles is a 11.1 meter high round tower with a diameter of 3.7 meters (4 meters in the area of ​​the pinnacle rim). It stands in the lower courtyard and borders the southwest corner of the upper kennel. The entrance is only 1.5 meters high and leads to a narrow spiral staircase that gave the tower its name. From the platform located 2.75 meters above the entrance (9.25 meters above the lower courtyard) you have a good view of the surroundings.

The cannon tower stands on the northeast corner of the castle, embedded in the protective circular masonry. The guns used to be housed here. In 1970 it was rebuilt with its octagonal roof according to historical documents and has served as a residential tower for guests of the youth hostel since 2009. The kitchen tower stands on the east corner of the lower courtyard, also has an octagonal roof and is now part of the castle tavern.

  • The castle in pictures - part 1

  • The youth hostel on the Starkenburg

  • The Hessian flag flies on a tower

  • A restaurant near the Starkenburg

  • A tower of the castle

  • The castle in pictures - part 2

  • A tower seen from the upper courtyard

  • The Starkenburg in 1850

  • View of the corner tower and entrance tower when climbing to the castle

  • The coat of arms on the new keep (western entrance tower)

  • The castle in pictures - part 3

  • The Starkenburg as seen from the old town of Heppenheim

  • Detail castle towers

  • Outer wall with accommodation for the youth hostel

  • patio

  • Exterior view

  • View from the keep

Say

The legends of the ghost Melampus , the protective spirit of the castle and the white woman are entwined around the Starkenburg . There is also said to be or have been a secret passage from Lorsch Abbey to Starkenburg.

literature

  • Thomas Biller: Castles and palaces in the Odenwald. A guide to history and architecture. Schnell and Steiner, Regensburg 2005, ISBN 3-7954-1711-2 , pp. 78–81.
  • Rudolf Knappe: Medieval castles in Hessen. 800 castles, castle ruins and fortifications. 3. Edition. Wartberg-Verlag, Gudensberg-Gleichen 2000, ISBN 3-86134-228-6 , pp. 572-574.
  • Leonhard Rettig: The mention of Heppenheim and the Starkenburg in the Lorsch Codex. Magistrate of the district town of Heppenheim an der Bergstrasse (Ed.), Heppenheim 1970.
  • Rolf Müller (Ed.): Palaces, castles, old walls. Published by the Hessendienst der Staatskanzlei, Wiesbaden 1990, ISBN 3-89214-017-0 , p. 169f.
  • Christoph Breitwieser, The Starkenburg . In: Kloster Lorsch, From the imperial monastery of Charlemagne to the world cultural heritage of mankind. Published by the Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt and the administration of the State Palaces and Gardens of Hesse, pp. 58 - 65. Michael Imhof Verlag, Petersberg 2011. ISBN 978-3-86568-643-5

Web links

Commons : Starkenburg  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Headlines from Bensheim on the 175th anniversary of the "Bergsträßer Anzeiger" 2007. (PDF 8.61MB) A black day for preservationists. P. 44 , archived from the original on October 5, 2016 ; accessed on December 28, 2014 .
  2. ↑ Tour of the Heppenheimer Starkenburg  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in Heppenheim Castle Guide (pdf 1054kb)@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.heppenheim.de  
  3. ↑ Further information about the towers according to privately conducted explorations and measurements
  4. ^ Elisabeth Bräuer, Wilhelm Metzendorf: Legends, stories and haunted stories from Heppenheim and the surrounding area , Heppenheim 1975, Verlag Laurissa, publisher: Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Geschichts- u. Heimatvereine in the Bergstrasse district, p. 29; also in history sheets Bergstrasse district , special volume 2, 1976