Gräfenstein Castle
Gräfenstein Castle | |
---|---|
Burg Gräfenstein, Merzalber Schloss | |
Merzalben | |
![]() The heart of Gräfenstein Castle with its inner main gate | |
Coordinates | 49°14′28″N 7°45′24″E / 49.2411°N 7.7566°E |
Type | rock castle |
Code | DE-RP |
Height | 447 m above sea level (NN) |
Site information | |
Condition | ruins, partially restored |
Site history | |
Built | 1237 |
Materials | rusticated ashlar |
Gräfenstein Castle (
History
Gräfenstein Castle was built by the
Possession of Gräfenstein was first given to the younger counts of the von Leiningen family. The House of Leiningen was related to the von Saarbrücken counts. The castle was built primarily for protection. It lies on the intersection of the
In 1317 the castle went into the possession of the collateral Leiningen-Dagsburg line. By 1367 they had to sell 7/8 of the estate to
The castle was first destroyed in 1525 during the
Thereafter the castle continued to change hands, until in 1570 it was transferred, together with its associated villages, to
In spite of that the fortification is relatively well preserved. The first conservation measures on the ruins were carried out in 1909/10 and 1936/37. And from 1978 to 1986 the state of Rhineland-Palatinate had the ruins comprehensively restored at some cost.
Site
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Graefenstein_Bergfriedskizze.jpg/220px-Graefenstein_Bergfriedskizze.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/Graefenstein_Grundriss_Infotafel.jpg/220px-Graefenstein_Grundriss_Infotafel.jpg)
Gräfenstein is one of the most important, Hohenstaufen era castles in Rhineland-Palatinate. It is about 80 metres (260 ft) long and about 60 metres (200 ft) wide.
Bergfried
Gräfenstein is the only castle in Germany with a heptagonal keep or
Upper ward
Around the bergfried there is a
The most important late medieval additions to the upper ward are the
Lower ward
The
Two small round towers with loopholes for hand weapons guarded the approach on the northeastern side of the lower ward. In the entrance, original stone slabs with cartwheel grooves may still be seen. Two storey buildings were erected against the inside of the curtain wall on the southern side of the lower ward. Four chimneys and six garderobes from these buildings can still be seen. They indicate the presence of a large castle garrison.
References
- ^ "Castle Grafenstein". Retrieved 20 January 2014.
Literature
- Alexander Thon (ed.): ... wie eine gebannte, unnahbare Zauberburg. Burgen in der Südpfalz. 2. Auflage. Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg, 2005, ISBN 3-7954-1570-5, S. 58–63.
- Jürgen Keddigkeit (2002), Jürgen Keddigkeit; Alexander Thon; Rolf Übel (eds.), "Gräfenstein", Pfälzisches Burgenlexikon. Vol. 2. F−H (in German), vol. Bd. 12.2, Kaiserslautern, pp. 199–212, ISSN 0936-7640
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Information at the homepage of the municipality of Merzalben
- Extract from the Palatine Castles Lexicon
- Photos of Gräfenstein Castle at Burgenparadies.de Archived 2013-11-05 at the Wayback Machine
- Artist's impression by Wolfgang Braun
- Entry on Gräfenstein Castle in European Castles Institute