| Hohengeroldseck Castle | |
|---|---|
Burg Hohengeroldseck | |
| General information | |
| Status | Ruin |
| Type | Palas, Castle, Ruin |
| Elevation | 523.9 meters (1,719 ft) (NHN) |
Hohengeroldseck Castle (German: Burg Hohengeroldseck) is the ruin of a hill castle in the Black Forest in Germany. It is located on a hill between Kinzigtal and Schuttertal, in the district of Seelbach, Ortenaukreis in the state of Baden-Württemberg. The castle used to be the ancestral seat of of the House of Geroldseck. 1,700 meters north, the ruin of the Castle Old-Geroldseck (German: Alt-Geroldseck) is located.
History
editThe House of Geroldseck
The castle was built from 1240 to 1250 on the Schönberg-hill by Walter I. of Geroldseck. It originally constituted the ancestral castle of the House of Geroldseck. Between 1277 and the end of the Geroldseck-reign in 1634, the castle posed the center of the “upper rulership” Hohengeroldseck. From 1277, the area of the upper Ortenau was ruled by Walter of Geroldseck’s descendants. The area included the principalities Lahr, Mahlberg, Schiltach, as well as the monasteries Schuttern and Ettenheimmünster and the convent Wittichen. In 1442, Jacob, Margrave of Baden-Baden paid Walter I. of Geroldseck’s descendants 30,000 Guilder in exchange for half of each of the principalities of Lahr and Mahlberg. Three decades later, in 1473, Strasbourg unsuccessfully tried to besiege the castle. In 1486, the castle was conquered by Philip the Upright which left the castle in the possession of the Electoral Palatine (German: Kurfürstentum Pfalz) until 1534. Martin Merz, the artilleryman of the Electorate of Palatine, lead the bombardment that lastet six weeks in 1486. In 1599, the House of Geroldseck moved its residency to Castle Dautenstein (German: Schloss Dautenstein) in the nearby village of Seelbach, which was rebuilt to match the architectural style of the Renaissance.
The Counts of Leyen since 1697 After the Count of Cronberg’s death, Frederick VII, Margrave of Baden-Durlach invoked his claim to reign Hohengeroldseck which he inherited from his grandfather Friedrich V., Margrave of Baden-Durlach. His reign started half a year after the Count of Cronberg’s death. In 1695, Carl Casper Franz of Leyen made demands to reign Hohengeroldseck because the House of Habsburg had promised him to be the successor of the Count of Cronberg, even though Frederick VII.’s demands and promises were known. Austrian provincial governor of the Ortenau, Karl II. of Neveu, sent 300 men to remove the every emblem that was associated with Baden and to capture Dautenstein Castle. The people of the region were asked to obey Carl Casper of Leyen. Ever since, the ruin belongs to the House of Leyen.
Preservation of the Ruin
editThe ruin of the Hohengeroldseck Castle today belongs to the House of Geroldseck’s legal successors: The House of Leyen (German: Fürsten von der Leyen). Since 1958, it is supervised by the Society for the Preservation of the Ruin Hohengeroldseck (German: Verein zur Erhaltung der Burgruine Hohengeroldseck e. V.). First maintenance measures were taken in 1883. In the beginning of the 1950s, a winding staircase was added to the tower of the back palas. In 2005, the ruin was declared as cultural heritage of Baden-Württemberg. The Memorial Foundation Baden-Württemberg (German: Denkmalstiftung Baden-Württemberg) declared the ruin as the memorial of the month June 2010. In 2011 and 2013, the ruin was thoroughly restored. The reconstruction costs have amounted to 825,000€ since 1996.
Facility
editThe castle, that is the approximately 10 meter tall outer wall (lower castle) and the main build, is constructed as a tower house. It is especially clearly visible from the area around the Kinzig river. Without its outlying estates, the castle used to extend over 95 by 50 meters. The 2.1-meter-wide circular wall used to have a wall walk with shooting slits. Both main builds were about 50 meters long and up to 20 meters wide. They were separated by a courtyard. The facade of the “Ritterhaus”, a four-story-palas the knights would reside in, is preserved for the most part. On the second upper floor, there used to be a great knight’s hall that measured 80 square-meters.