Veste Coburg
Veste Coburg | |
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Bayerische Verwaltung der staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen | |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Bodo Ebhardt (early 20th-century renovation) |
Website | |
Veste Coburg |
The Veste Coburg (Coburg Fortress) is one of the best-preserved medieval fortresses of Germany. It is situated on a hill above the town of Coburg, in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria.
Geography
Location
Veste Coburg dominates the town of Coburg on Bavaria's border with Thuringia. It is located at an altitude of 464 meters above NHN, or 167 meters above the town. Its size (around 135 meters by 260 meters) represents one of the medium fortresses in Germany.[1]
History
Early history and Middle Ages
The hill on which Veste Coburg stands had been inhabited from the
A document signed by Pope Honorius II in 1206 refers to a mons coburg, a hill settlement. In the 13th century, the hill overlooked the town of Trufalistat (Coburg's predecessor) and the important trade route from Nuremberg via Erfurt to Leipzig. A document dated from 1225 uses the term sloss (palace) for the first time. At the time, the town was controlled by the Dukes of Merania (or Meran). They were followed in 1248 by the Counts of Henneberg who ruled Coburg until 1353, save for a period from 1292-1312, when the House of Ascania (Askanien) was in charge.[2]: 3
In 1353, Coburg fell to
Early modern times through Thirty Years' War
In 1485, in the Partition of Leipzig, Veste Coburg fell to the Ernestine branch of the family. A year later, Elector Friedrich der Weise and Johann der Beständige took over the rule of Coburg. Johann used the fortress as a residence from 1499. In 1506/07, Lucas Cranach the Elder lived and worked in the Fortress. From April to October 1530, during the Diet of Augsburg, Martin Luther sought protection at the Fortress, as he was under an Imperial ban at the time. Whilst he stayed at the fortress, Luther continued with his work translating the Bible into German. In 1547, Johann Ernst moved the residence of the ducal family to a more convenient and fashionable location, Ehrenburg Palace in the town center of Coburg. The Veste now only served as a fortification.[2]: 4–5, 21, 54
In the further splitting of the Ernestine line, Coburg became the seat of the Herzogtum von Sachsen-Coburg, the
17th through 19th centuries
From 1638 to 1672, Coburg and the fortress were part of the
In 1826, the
20th century
The dynasty's last reigning monarch was
In 1945, the fortress was seriously damaged by artillery fire in the final days of the Second World War. After 1946, renovation works were undertaken by the new owner, the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes.[2]: 54
Today
Veste Coburg is open to the public and today houses museums, including a collection of art objects and paintings that belonged to the ducal family of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a large collection of arms and armor, significant examples of early modern coaches and sleighs, and important collections of prints, drawings and coins.[3]
References
- ^ "Veste Coburg (German)". Coburg, official town website. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-3-7954-4603-1.
- ^ "Kunstsammlungen Coburg (German)". Kunstsammlungen Coburg. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
Further reading
- Daniel Burger: Festungen in Bayern. Schnell + Steiner, Regensburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-7954-1844-1(Reihe Deutsche Festungen 1).
- Rainer W. Hambrecht: Eine spätmittelalterliche Baustelle. Die Veste Coburg nach dem Brand von 1500 und der Anteil des Nürnberger Baumeisters Hans Beheim d. Ä. am Wiederaufbau. In: Werner Taegert (ed.): Hortulus floridus Bambergensis. Studien zur fränkischen Kunst- und Kulturgeschichte. Renate Baumgärtel-Fleischmann zum 4. Mai 2002. Imhof, Petersberg 2004, ISBN 3-935590-71-7, p. 219–232.
- Peter Morsbach, Otto Titz: Stadt Coburg. Ensembles Baudenkmäler archäologische Denkmäler. Lipp, München 2006, ISBN 3-87490-590-X(Denkmäler in Bayern 4/48).
- Klaus Weschenfelder: Veste Coburg. Geschichte und Gestalt. Edition Braus, Heidelberg 2005, ISBN 3-89904-196-8.