Gräfenstein Castle

Core area of ​​the castle Gräfenstein with inner main gate

The Gräfenstein Castle is a ruined castle rock about two kilometers east of the village Merzalben in Rhineland-Palatinate County Southwest Palatinate. The castle is located in the Palatinate Forest, and is often referred to as Merz Alber castle. It is built on a 12-meter -high plateau and lies at an altitude of 447 meters.

History

Was first mentioned Gräfenstein 1237 in a deed of division of the Counts of Leiningen. The central plant with donjon and palace probably dates from the 12th century and thus goes back to the Hohenstaufen period.

1317 the castle came into the possession of the sidelines Leiningen- Dabo. Already in 1367 then had to sell 7/8 to Elector Ruprecht I of the Palatinate. Through marriage came the Gräfenstein 1421 to the Counts of Leiningen- Hard castle. This could particularly enhance the lower castle.

The first destruction was carried out in 1525 in the German Peasants' War. From 1535 on, the reconstruction took place in 1540 and the castle by the then owner, Count Palatine Johann was sold by simmering on the Count Palatine Ruprecht of Pfalz- Veldenz, who henceforth took as his new residence, and also introduced the Reformation. Ruprecht was born in 1506 in Zweibrücken and died on July 28, 1544 at Castle Gräfenstein.

This was followed again changing ownership until the castle and the associated villages in 1570 in Baden -owned ( Margraviate of Baden -Baden and Baden -Durlach ) passed. 1635, during the Thirty Years War, the castle was by a fire to ruin ( by " Ohnvorsichtigkeit the kayser union Parrtheyen so Posto taken therein " ) and was unusable over time.

Nevertheless, the weir was still quite well preserved. First safeguards the ruin took place 1909/10 and 1936 /37. The state of Rhineland -Palatinate was the ruins 1978-1986 comprehensive and lavishly restored.

Plant

Castle Gräfenstein is one of the most important staufer temporal castles in Rhineland- Palatinate. Its length is about 80 meters, its width is about 60 meters.

Keep

It is the only castle in Germany Gräfenstein has a heptagonal keep. This can be climbed even by a narrow winding staircase today. The shape of the tower is derived from the combination of an octagon (see Steinberg ) with a triangle. During the five -sided tower has a triangular tip is added to the square on the attack side of the castle, two legs of the octagon are extended to a tip in the case Gräfenstein. Another special feature is the fact that the keep of Gräfenstein is not directed against a wing, as the castle is situated on a steep mountain sides taper. This emphasizes the symbolism of Wehrbauarchitektur that is at least equal with respect to the functionality in the High Middle Ages. The ground-level entrance, however, was added only recently.

Upper castle

In order to keep up defining a peripheral wall that suggests five pages of a due to the terrain slightly irregular octagon. The outer wall of the upper castle is completely outside of rough stone. It was reached by a wooden staircase in place of today's stone design. The goal at this point is not obtained. In the northern part of the upper castle of Stauffer period palace, whose walls are still largely preserved to eaves height is. In plan, it approaches an acute triangle. Its windows were renovated in the late Middle Ages, but let the Romanesque arched windows on the upper floor of the exterior still accounting.

The most important late medieval ingredients of the upper castle are the abortion tower and a stair tower of the 16th century. In the palace there were no other structural changes more.

Under castle

The lower castle, the ring wraps around the rock base of the upper castle, goes back at least in the southern and western section on the late Hohenstaufen period. The shape of the irregular polygon is again repeated on the alleged attack side, so that there is a threefold differentiation of curtain wall, cladding walls and the keep. According to the southern parts of the castle were created shortly after the upper castle at the end of the 13th century. The northern part with kennel was probably added in the 15th century.

Two small round towers with loopholes for handguns protected access on the northeast side of the castle. In the driveway original stone slabs can still be seen with vehicle grooves. Inside of the ring wall of the southern lower castle were two-storey building ajar. Four fireplaces and six abortion bay can be seen from it. They testify to the presence of a larger garrison.