Hertenstein Castle

Of the moat

The Hertenstein Castle is a castle Outbound spur southwest of the local part of the community Billingsbach Blaufelden in the district of Schwäbisch Hall in Baden- Württemberg.

Geographical location

The castle barn is located about 840 meters southwest of the local Church in Billingsbach on the edge of Blaufelden -Gera Bronner level.

The site of the former castle situated in 442.8 m above sea level. NN altitude on a mountain ridge that rises above the Hertensteiner mill at the mouth of the creek in the Billing Rötelbach. The spur is bounded on three sides by steep slopes, on its north-western side of the valley of the billing stream and on the west side of the Rötelbachtal. The south side is well protected by steep drop in the so-called " gallows blade ", a small Klingental, by nature. The fourth, ostnordöstliche page goes over in the subsequent plateau and thus formed the main wing.

History

Hertenstein Castle was probably built in the early 13th century, the dating of two cup body with soil characters that were found in an excavation by Emil food in 1948, suggests. Who built the castle and occupied, is not known. The castle could then function in the monitoring of a portion of Altstrasse that crossed Künzelsau from the Valley of the Jagst, the violinist walks directly beneath the castle pulled up and continue on Schrozberg to Rothenburg ob der Tauber led, have located.

First news from the castle set in the 14th century, when in 1314 a Eberhard von Hertenstein as a witness to the deed Gottfried Hohenlohe and Gebhard von Brauneck appears. He belonged to the German Order.

The low nobles of Hertenstein were probably Ministeriale the aristocratic family of the von Hohenlohe. But whether they had also built the castle or on which way the castle else came into their possession, is also unknown. Other mentions in documents show that the Hertensteiner probably identical with the local nobility of Billingsbach 1315 sold Walter von Hertenstein " sat at Billingsbach " own people Mergentheim to the German Order. The Lords of Billingsbach relocated their headquarters in the village, now also a castle barn, apparently during the 14th century to the inherently much better protected hill fort. After the year 1374 the Hertensteiner died out well, the last known bearer of the name was the wax Bacher pastor Eberhard von Hertenstein.

At this time the castle Hertenstein was but probably no longer inhabited, since 1393 enfeoffed Count Ulrich von Hohenlohe Rezzonico " hette to the castle rebuke to Hertenstein, VND what eygens the rule at the same castle censure " of Bächlingen among other things with a part. Also in the map of the Office Langenburg from 1578, the castle Hertenstein was listed as a ruin.

At the castle originally belonged to the mill in Rötelbachtal and no longer localizable yard.