Dietenhofen moated castle

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Dietenhofen moated castle
Dietenhofen Castle now houses a local museum

Dietenhofen Castle now houses a local museum

Alternative name (s): Dietenhofen Castle
Creation time : Early 13th century
Conservation status: Palace complex, built-in round tower of the preceding castle
Standing position : Knighthood
Construction: nothing special
Place: Dietenhofen
Geographical location 49 ° 24 '1 "  N , 10 ° 41' 20"  E Coordinates: 49 ° 24 '1 "  N , 10 ° 41' 20"  E
Dietenhofen moated castle (Bavaria)
Dietenhofen moated castle

The Dietenhofen moated castle was a moated castle that was destroyed in 1523 and rebuilt as Dietenhofen Castle . Dietenhofen is a market in the Central Franconian district of Ansbach .

History of the moated castle

The castle was probably built as a residential tower at the beginning of the 13th century and was first mentioned in a document with Rüdiger von Dietenhofen in 1235. According to Gewin, he was a son of the Eichstätt Ministerial Heinrich von Hofstetten, or grandson of Rudiger von Moosburg, who were related to the Lords of Rothenburg . The von Leonrod family followed the von Dietenhofen family .

Remains of the tower built into the castle

The moated castle was partly owned by the Kunz von Rosenberg in 1523 and was burned down on July 21st. It was rebuilt later. A round tower in the new building probably still bears witness to the previous castle construction.

In 1684, Margrave Johann Friedrich von Brandenburg-Ansbach took over the castle. In 1822 the community of Dietenhofen bought the property and used it as a school. It has housed a local history museum since 1970.

The fateful year 1523

In the middle of the 16th century, the robber baron Hans Thomas von Absberg terrified the imperial cities in Franconia and Swabia. He kidnapped merchants on their trade trips and demanded a large ransom for their release. He looked for allies who would support him in his raids and whose castles he could escape in case of danger and where he could hide his hostages. Kunz von Rosenberg also supported him in his feud, as he hoped that this would increase his dwindling wealth a little. In 1523 the Swabian Federation finally sent its troops to level a total of 23 "predatory nests" to the ground. The federal troops, which supposedly consisted of 10,000 foot soldiers and 1,000 horsemen, carried 100 cannons and 30 rifles as armament, for which they had 900 quintals of black powder with them. On June 11, 1523 they reached Dietenhofen Castle and completely destroyed the complex in order to prevent the Rosenbergs from returning.

The woodcut by Hans Wandereisen

Main article: Wandereisen woodcuts from 1523

The destruction of the castle in 1523

The subsequently colored and inscribed woodcut by Hans Wandereisen says: XXI. Dyetenhofen heard from Cuntzen von Rosenberg / Is on the .XXI. day Julij vom Schwebisch (n) Bunt burned. 1523.

The Dietenhofen moated castle is shown burning. On the right edge of the picture are some houses in the village with half-timbered constructions . The bank of the moat is secured with a picket fence. A low entrance building stands in front of the bridge and the gatehouse . The castle courtyard with its surrounding walls forms an isosceles triangle in plan, at the top of which is the gatehouse and at the other two corners of which massive, wide towers can be seen. Two buildings rise in the background, the upper floors of which are half-timbered. A tower towering over everything rises between the buildings. Further in the background, there appears to be another source of fire on an elevation in the area. The army of the Swabian Federation is posted in the front area of ​​the picture. In addition to a number of tabs on both sides, some individuals are drawn with particularly great detail. One of the riders carries a troop flag with stripes across it.

literature

Web links

Commons : Wasserburg Dietenhofen  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Dr. JPJ Gewin, Bloom and Decline of the High Nobility in the Middle Ages, 1957, p. 171
  2. ↑ see also list of Frankish knight families # D