Zollern Castle in Balingen

Zollern Castle
Zollern Castle in winter
Creation time :	around 1255
Castle type :	City castle
Conservation status:	Demolition and reconstruction 1935/36 (reconstructed palace complex)
Standing position :	Count
Place:	Balingen
Geographical location	48 ° 16'16.2 "  N , 8 ° 51'5"  E Coordinates: 48 ° 16'16.2 "  N , 8 ° 51'5"  E
Height:	515  m above sea level NN

The Balingen Zollernschloss is a late medieval town castle of the Counts of Zollern-Schalksburg on the southwest corner of the town fortifications of Balingen in the Zollernalb district in Baden-Württemberg . In the course of its history, the original residential palace was the seat of the Württemberg governor , was used as a restaurant and brewery in the 18th century, fell into disrepair and was only used as a stable and barn. In the 1930s it was completely demolished and rebuilt using original components. Today it houses the Balingen scale museum and a youth hostel in the associated riding house . The ensemble is a popular calendar sheet motif.

location

The castle is located at the southern end of the city center at the confluence of the Steinach and Eyach , integrated into the old city fortifications. Its south-eastern defense tower, called the water tower, is connected to the castle by a covered bridge. The facility is located at around 515 meters above sea ​​level . Below it is a weir of the Eyach to divert the Mühlkanal, which flows along the city wall.

investment

The palace complex consists of three main parts: the first part is the so-called water tower at the southeast corner of the complex, it is the only surviving of the four former corner towers of the Balingen city fortifications. The old prison cells preserved in the tower are open to inspection. The second part is the main building, often referred to in the narrower sense as the Zollern Castle . This is connected to the water tower by a covered wooden bridge. A half-timbered floor with a half- hip roof is placed on three brick floors . The third part is the so-called riding house . This is where the youth hostel, which is closed in the winter months, is housed today. The complex used to be secured with a wall and gate to the city as well as an L-shaped trench from one leg of the city wall to the other. At the main building, a covered staircase leads to the wall. Next to the old palace complex is the former tithe barn, which houses the local history museum with the geological department of the city of Balingen. Together they form the ensemble of historic Balingen, which was spared the city fire of 1809.

history

Zollerische Stadtburg

Investigations during the demolition of the castle in 1934 showed that its foundation walls date from the 13th century, i.e. related to the founding of Balingen in 1255. It was a typical, early late medieval town castle that was mainly used for residential purposes. Further investigations in 1934 showed that the upper floors were renewed in 1372.

Seat of an upper bailiwick in Württemberg

Water tower, Zollern Castle and riding house

The castle was bought by Württemberg in 1403 with the entire Schalksburg rulership . From then on it was the seat of the Obervogts responsible for the offices of Balingen, Ebingen, Tuttlingen and later also Rosenfeld. The task of a senior bailiff lay in the area of ​​defense and jurisdiction and was carried out by a nobleman who lived in the castle with a household of 20 to 30 people.

After the Thirty Years' War the castle was so dilapidated that the new Obervogt Graf von Kandel, who ruled from 1649 to 1675, could not move into it. The under-bailiff described it as follows: The riding house was "badly melted, mostly collapsed and impossible ... to patch up". It must be set up from scratch. The main building is also not habitable. It consists of a small cellar, a stable for ten horses, five rooms and six chambers. There is no storage space for grain. It is not habitable without repairs. The two connecting corridors between the castle and the equestrian house on the inner city wall and the bridge to the tower are also collapsing. The wall towards the city was cracked, the bridge over the moat was collapsing and the wall around the moat collapsed. It was not possible to move in until the spring of 1651. The renovation was initially satisfactory, but the successor Georg Ehrenreich von Closen , who ruled from 1675 to 1697, had to move out again shortly after taking office. The entire gable end facing Eyach threatened to collapse and had to be torn down. Demolition and reconstruction, but now with a simple pointed gable, took place in 1681 and 1682.

Private use

In the 18th century, the upper bailiffs were dissolved, so the castle was no longer needed. It was advertised for sale. This turned out to be difficult, however, as the complex did not meet the usual civic requirements, the farm should continue to be used as a public peeling plate by the stallions coming from the ducal stud and the stable in the castle should be available for this. The description of the condition at that time was not very trustworthy either: it has been in a poor structural condition for many years. The foundation and buttress walls diverged and the framework of the roof structure was largely rotten. Since the sales efforts dragged on for almost 16 years, the buyers, the baker and beer-maker Johannes Pfeiffer and the red tanner Johannes Hassis, were able to purchase the complex for 1800 guilders, discontinuing its use as a peeling plate and with a free business license in May 1753. From now on the riding house was used as a brewery and economy with guest rooms. The actual castle building was only used as a stable and barn.

Demolition and reconstruction

The Zollern Castle before 1925
Photograph by Arthur von der Trappen

In 1911, the widow of the last owner wanted to auction the property. The State Committee for Nature Conservation and Heritage Protection and the Royal State Conservatory immediately looked for sponsors and the city of Balingen was also asked to buy. The building was to be used for a new district local museum. But neither private nor public funds were available. It was not until April 1920 that the city of Balingen bought the castle and riding house for 65,000 marks with the aim of setting up a trade school there, which, according to expert reports, was not possible. Instead, apartments should be furnished for large families. For financial reasons, however, they did not venture into the castle building, only two apartments were set up in the riding house in 1921 and 1922 and a youth hostel in the old tavern hall.

In April 1925, the construction police issued the ultimatum to either secure the castle properly or to tear it down. A counter-opinion was immediately obtained from a monument specialist from Esslingen. He found that there was no reason to act too hastily and that light security measures were sufficient. Comment by the Balingen construction police: "If I go to a lot of doctors, I will eventually find someone who will allow me to drink."

The contrast between the water tower renovated in 1934 and the dilapidated castle created renewed pressure to move. In January 1935, the local council decided to renovate. Premises for the Hitler Youth and the establishment of a local museum were named as potential uses. The cost was calculated at RM 140,000. Government grants were granted in the amount of 17,000 RM. The city was only able to raise the remaining money by selling the wood from the city forest and refraining from tarring and partially paving important local roads. Funds that had been earmarked for the municipal sewer system and reserves for a new old people's home were also reallocated. Work began in August 1935, but it soon became clear that demolition and a new basement were unavoidable. The foundations were completely removed and the basement rebuilt with a vault height of three meters. This should enable a later gastronomic use.

As many original parts as possible were used both in the brick basement and in the half-timbered construction. Numerous stand parts and two wooden barrel vaults were also reinstalled inside the building. The east gable, which was designed as a pointed gable in the 17th century, was again designed as a half-hip roof. The entrance relocated to the ground floor and the routing of the stairs do not correspond to the original. An event room with kitchen and toilets does not correspond to the original design either.

After the topping-out ceremony was held in June 1936, another dispute began over the use of the building. The Hitler Youth claimed the entire building, the local council insisted on the establishment of the local history museum. The upper two floors were given to this, the Hitler Youth received two halls on the lower floors. The now launched "Zollernschloß Lottery" was able to advertise these two goals in addition to the preservation of the monument, which may have increased the number of tickets sold. The net proceeds amounted to RM 13,400. The actual construction costs in the end amounted to 160,000 RM.

Todays use

Balingen weighing museum

Once in the neighboring Zehntscheuer 1992, a House of museums was set up Zoller castle houses only the scale museum . The youth hostel is located in the riding house.

With around 400 exhibits, the scale museum shows the technical development of weighing technology from simple beam scales to retail and industrial scales of the 21st century.

See also

• List of castles and palaces in Baden-Württemberg

literature

• Max Miller (ed.): Handbook of the historical sites of Germany . Volume 6: Baden-Württemberg (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 276). Kröner, Stuttgart 1965, DNB 456882928 .
• Hans Schimpf: On the 50th anniversary of a landmark of the city of Balingen Vogtsitz, Scheuer, monument - the eventful history of the Balingen Castle, in: Heimatkundliche Blätter Balingen (=> Heimatkundliche Blätter Zollernalb), Jg. 33 (1986) No. 8, p. 557f, 562f. (Including Balinger Obervögte 15th century -1755).
• Günter Schmitt : Zollern Castle (Balingen) (PDF; 128 kB) . In: Ders .: Castles, palaces and ruins in the Zollernalb district . Pp. 85-96. ed. from the Zollernalbkreis district office. Jan Thorbecke Verlag der Schwabenverlag AG, Ostfildern 2007. ISBN 978-3-7995-0186-6
• Stefan Uhl: The castles of the Counts of Zollern in the Schalksburg rule . In: The rule of Schalksburg between Zollern and Württemberg. edited by Andreas Zekorn, Peter Thaddäus Lang and Hans Schimpf-Reinhardt. bibliotheca academica Verlag, Epfendorf 2005. ISBN 3-928471-56-2

Remarks

1. ↑ StAB, A1, No. 137 (report by the Balingen government master builder Dinkel), quoted from: Hans Schimpf-Reinhardt: Vogtsitz, Scheuer, Denkmal - The checkered history of the Zollern Castle ; in: 750 Years of the City of Balingen 1255–2005, Publications of the Balingen City Archives, Volume 7; ISBN 3-00-017595-4 ; P. 140
2. ↑ Hans Schimpf-Reinhardt: Vogtsitz, Scheuer, Monument - The checkered history of the Zollern Castle ; in: 750 Years of the City of Balingen 1255–2005, Publications of the Balingen City Archives, Volume 7; ISBN 3-00-017595-4 ; P. 142
3. ↑ HStAS, A 349, Bü 94, quoted from: Hans Schimpf-Reinhardt: Vogtsitz, Scheuer, Monument - The changeful history of the Zollern Castle ; in: 750 Years of the City of Balingen 1255–2005, Publications of the Balingen City Archives, Volume 7; ISBN 3-00-017595-4 ; P. 142
4. ^ StAB, A 1, No. 137 Description of the building by the architect Egelhaaf. When it was demolished in 1934, he describes that the year 1682 was carved into a lintel in the eastern gable; quoted from: Hans Schimpf-Reinhardt: Vogtsitz, Scheuer, Denkmal - The changeful history of the Zollern Castle ; in: 750 Years of the City of Balingen 1255–2005, Publications of the Balingen City Archives, Volume 7; ISBN 3-00-017595-4 ; P. 143
5. ↑ HStAS, A 349, Bü 94, quoted from: Hans Schimpf-Reinhardt: Vogtsitz, Scheuer, Monument - The changeful history of the Zollern Castle ; in: 750 Years of the City of Balingen 1255–2005, Publications of the Balingen City Archives, Volume 7; ISBN 3-00-017595-4 ; P. 145
6. ↑ StAB, A1, No. 137; quoted from: Hans Schimpf-Reinhardt: Vogtsitz, Scheuer, Denkmal - The changeful history of the Zollern Castle ; in: 750 Years of the City of Balingen 1255–2005, Publications of the Balingen City Archives, Volume 7; ISBN 3-00-017595-4 ; P. 143
7. ↑ StAB, A1, No. 137; quoted from: Hans Schimpf-Reinhardt: Vogtsitz, Scheuer, Denkmal - The changeful history of the Zollern Castle ; in: 750 Years of the City of Balingen 1255–2005, Publications of the Balingen City Archives, Volume 7; ISBN 3-00-017595-4 ; P. 146
8. ↑ ibid.
9. ↑ StAB, A 1, No. 138; quoted from: Hans Schimpf-Reinhardt: Vogtsitz, Scheuer, Denkmal - The changeful history of the Zollern Castle ; in: 750 Years of the City of Balingen 1255–2005, Publications of the Balingen City Archives, Volume 7; ISBN 3-00-017595-4 ; P. 149

Web links

Commons : Zollernschloss (Balingen)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Zollernschloss Balingen on palaces and castles in Baden-Wuerttemberg