| Münzenberg Castle | |
|---|---|
Burg Münzenberg | |
 Münzenberg Castle from the south | |
  Münzenberg Castle  Münzenberg Castle | |
| General information | |
| Type | Hill castle |
| Town or city | Münzenberg, Hesse |
| Country | Germany |
| Groundbreaking | 12th century |
Münzenberg Castle (German.Burg Münzenberg) is a ruinedhill castle in thetown of the same name in theWetteraukreis, Hesse,Germany. It dates from the 12th century. It is one of the best preserved castles from theHigh Middle Ages in Germany.
The first lord of nearbyArnsburg known by name is Kuno von Arnsburg, who served EmperorHeinrich IV as aMinisterialis in 1057. Around 1064 he married Gräfin Mathilde of theHouse of Bilstein. Their daughter, Gertrud (b. c. 1065, d. before 1093) married Eberhard von Hagen (1075-1122), lord ofBurg Hayn [de] nearFrankfurt, who moved his seat to Arnsburg and changed his name to "von Hagen und Arnsburg". Under Eberhard's son, Konrad I (1093-1130) the family became the most powerful in theWetterau and the Rhine-Main region. Konrad II exchanged properties withFulda Abbey, receiving the land around Münzenberg Castle. The name Münzenberg meansMint mountain, after the mint growing on the hill.
His son, Kuno I (1151-1207), from 1156 styled himselfvon Münzenberg, implying that by then a castle had been built at Münzenberg and the earlier one at Arnsburg had been vacated.[1]: 5 He was the chamberlain of EmperorFrederick II who wished to preserve the Wetterau region as imperialCrown land, and thus agreed that his faithful built a prominent castle dominating the country far and wide.
The exact time of the construction is controversial in research. It is generally assumed that during the time of Kuno I, significant parts of the ring wall around the main castle, the Romanesque palace, the eastern keep, the gate building with the chapel above it and parts of the kitchen building were built. This construction phase is said to have ended in 1174 at the latest without the circular wall being completed. The palace remained unplastered, the kitchen building a torso.
With the death of Ulrich II of Münzenberg in 1255 the male line of the imperialministerialis of Münzenberg died out. His inheritance was divided among six of his sisters, with Ysegarde of Münzenberg bringing the castle and associated lands into her marriage to another imperialministerialis, Philipp IV., Lord ofFalkenstein, the treasure keeper of theImperial Regalia. Around 1260, brisk building activity began under him. The northern palace, later named after him, was built, the kitchen was completed, the ring wall was closed, the existing parts were raised and finally a second keep was built in the western part of the core castle.
In 1296 the Falkenstein family finally left Münzenberg Castle and moved toLich. Philipp VII of Falkenstein-Münzenberg was created a count in 1397. In 1418 the family died out with the Archbishop of Trier,Werner von Falkenstein. His three younger brothers having died without male issue, the two remaining sisters partitioned the inheritance. TheHouse of Solms, originally fromSolms, inherited Münzenberg Castle as well as its lands and those of Lich. After 125 years of vacancy, the castle was expanded again around 1424, with Bernhard ofSolms-Braunfels building a gate tower, theZwinger complex with outer bailey and the outer ring wall with a front gate. His brother Johann (1411–1457) founded the branch ofSolms-Lich which shortly afterwards took over Münzenberg castle. In 1514 the Romanesque part was altered in late Gothic style and a large western and four smaller battery towers inserted into the outer curtain wall. TheThirty Years' War left the castle in ruins.
In 1846 work began on restoring individual parts of the castle and securing the masonry. Just one year later, the eastern keep could be climbed. However, plans for a romantic restoration of the castle were dropped by the counts ofSolms-Laubach, by then owners of the castle. In 1935 they sold it to thePeople's State of Hesse. Today, theState Palaces and Gardens of Hesse maintain the castle ruins.
A striking feature of Münzenberg Castle is that it has two tall defensive towers, a structure known as abergfried (Thompson 2008). Such a tower is a typical feature of castles in the region, but there is usually only one, forming the strongest point of the castle. The bergfrieds at Münzenberg are both round, the taller one being 29 meters high.
The two bergfrieds stand at opposite ends of the innerward (here called theKernburg). The inner ward is completely surrounded by an outer ward with an outercurtain wall, providingdefense in depth.
.jpg)
50°27′06″N8°46′33″E / 50.45167°N 8.77583°E /50.45167; 8.77583
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
 | This article about a Hesse building or structure is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
