Hellenstein Castle
Hellenstein Castle is located 70 meters (230 ft) above the city of Heidenheim an der Brenz in eastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was once the home of the Lords of Hellenstein.
The
In 1901 the former castle church was acquired by the Folk and Ancient History Society of Heidenheim as a museum. The museum expanded throughout the first half of the 20th century, until in 1956 the entire castle was rebuilt as a museum. In 1993 the city of Heidenheim took over the museum from the Society. Today the castle contains several museums which are open from March 15 until November 15 Tuesday through Sunday.[3]
History
The site is first mentioned in 1096 by Gozbert de Halensteine whose family may have built the castle in the early 12th century. Within the castle wall there are many
On August 5, 1530 the castle burned to the ground.
During the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) the castle was damaged and the complex water supply system was destroyed. Before the castle could be reoccupied, a new water supply had to be found. From 1666 to 1670 the Kindlesbrunnen a 78 meters (256 ft) well was dug in the southern part of the castle. The name, Kindlesbrunnen ("baby fountain"), comes from a local legend that instead of being brought by the stork, babies are pulled from the well before they are born. The well cost about 6,750 guilders or about €500,000 in modern currency.
In 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, a French officer with 10,000 men again attempted to take the castle. When they arrived in Heidenheim, they evaluated the castle and the cost of attacking. The commander finally determined that Hellenstein would be too costly to attack, and retreated without firing a shot.[1]
During the 17th and early 18th century the castle was at its peak. Artists and sculptors were brought in to decorate and beautify the castle. In 1593 Frederick I commissioned the
By the mid-18th century the castle had lost importance. Around 1762 the duchy could no longer support renovations on Hellenstein. In 1810 the upper floor of the tower battery was removed and sold as building material. Unfortunately, the wall and ceiling paintings by Friedrich Sustris were destroyed when the upper floor was removed. In 1820 the Ministry of Finance authorized the sale and demolition of the entire old castle. A year later the paper factory Völter, removed portions of the castle to provide building material for their factory. In 1837 the royal planning commission forbade anyone else to remove stones from Hellenstein.
From castle to museum
In 1901 the Castle Folk Museum opened in the former church of the castle. Professor Eugene Gaus of the Folk and Ancient History Society founded the museum with a number of items from his own excavations.[3] Within a year the Society hosted the first Exhibition of Antiquity in the museum. When Alfred Meebold donated his "Indian Collection" the museum had to expand. The Obervogteisall, the upper tower rooms and the basement of the house all became part of the museum. From 1956 to 1960 the museum was upgraded and modified in three stages. For the 75th anniversary, the Society paid for the restoration and conversion of the old arsenal. Between 1982 and 1986 the city of Heidenheim restored the Fruchtkasten or granary and in 1987 opened a transportation museum.
There are actually two different museums in the castle, which can be visited on separate tickets or on a combination ticket. The Museum für Kutschen Chaisen Karren or transportation museum located in the old Fruchtkasten. This museum documents the growth and development of means of transportation before the automobile. In 1987 it was honored by the Europäischen Museums Forum for excellent design and execution.[5] The castle museum includes a theatre which shows movies about the history of Heidenheim, local ancient artifacts, religious art, antique toys and Alfred Meebold's Indian Collection.[3]
Broadcasting station of SWR
SWR operates on Hellenstein castle a low power broadcasting facility, which transmits the following programmes
Program | Frequency | ERP [kW] |
---|---|---|
SWR1 Baden-Württemberg | 87,6 MHz | 0,1 kW |
SWR4 Baden-Württemberg - Schwabenradio | 89,8 MHz | 0,1 kW |
SWR3 | 97,6 MHz | 0,1 kW |
SWR3 | 97,6 MHz | 0,1 kW |
SWR2 - Reg. Baden-Württemberg | 99,1 MHz | 0,1 kW |
Until November 1993, there was also a mediumwave broadcasting station on Hellenstein Castle working on 1413 kHz with 100 W.
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 3-616-06727-8.
- ^ (in German) Schloss Hellenstein from the City of Heidenheim website Archived 2007-11-07 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c (in German) Schloss Museum from City of Heidenheim website Archived 2007-11-07 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ (in German) Schloss Hellenstein from bergen.de
- ^ (in German) City of Heidenheim, Museum für Kutschen Chaisen Karren Archived 2007-11-07 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- (in German) Hellenstein castle on burgenwelt.de
- (in German) Hellenstein castle on burgen.de
- (in German) City of Heidenheim website