Battenberg Castle

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Seen Battenberg castle ruins from the south (2007)

The Battenberg Castle is a ruined castle on the boundary of the municipality of Battenberg (Pfalz ) in the district of Bad Durkheim in Rhineland- Palatinate.

Geography

Geographical location

The ruins of a hilltop castle located on a foothill of the Haardt at the northeast edge of the Palatinate Forest in the western shoulder of the Upper Rhine Graben. In 280 meters, high above the right bank of the Eckbachs, the castle is grouped immediately west of the small village.

Environment

On the steep southern slope below the castle ruins appear next to the curvy county road 30 from the ocher-colored sandstone called flash tubes to light. The natural monument, however, is not caused by lightning, but by sintering and erosion strongly ferruginous minerals. The nature reserve Haardtrand - Im Baumgarten joins on the eastern slope of the castle hill.

Plant

The castle follows the ground plan of the three sides (north, east, south ) steep mountain spur. Against the open fourth side, which lies to the west, she was protected by a now completely flattened ditch.

Get the ring wall with the gate tower on the west side near the northwest corner of the complex and a battery tower in the middle of the south side, which has a mouth hole lip; also still exist in the east - southeast area of a residential building on the foundations arched cellar and a two-story stair tower grown there, which was established by overbuilding the original input apartment until the 16th century. Its floor is now achieved by a subsequently attached iron external staircase.

History

Presumably, the castle in the 13th century by Count Friedrich III. built of Leiningen († 1287 ). Until its destruction by French troops during the Palatinate War of Succession in 1689 it was owned by the Earl Leininger, which at that time belonged to the Leiningerland. Together with the 1,400 meters north across the street Castle Neuleiningen they controlled the entrance to the Eckbachtales. 5 km southwest lies bach up the leiningische ancestral castle Altleiningen.

Today, the ruins is privately owned, but is partially open to the public. Well worth a visit for the view on Rhine valley, mountain road and Odenwald.