Schaumburg Castle, Rhineland-Palatinate

, Also briefly called the Castle Schaumburg Schaumburg, is a castle south of Baldwin stone near Limburg an der Lahn. Originally the site was a hilltop castle. Its main tower is the zero point of the Soldner coordinate system for the Duchy of Nassau.

History

Maybe the mountain to 915 was first built with a castle. It was originally called " Look castle " or " Schowenburg ". The Schaumburg was first mentioned in the year 1197, she was the center of a dominion of the same name. At that included not only the former castle places Biebrich, Cramberg and Steinberg. In the 12th century the castle belonged to the counts of Leiningen.

With the extinction of the male line of the counts around 1220 there was a division and multiple changes of ownership of the castle fief. Part of the castle was owned by Elise, the daughter of the Count of Leiningen Emicho and wife of Rupert the Warlike of Nassau. With her death, this share was transferred to the county Virneburg about her daughter. Another share of the castle fell to the County of Diez and from this to the county Weilnau. A third part of the Schaumburg passed to the House Isenburg. In his partition in 1232, the proportion Schaumburg came into the possession of Gerlach I of Limburg. The house Limburg, however, had already in 1266 forgo in an arbitration award in favor Kurkölns on the part of the castle. The Cologne Archbishop Siegfried of Westerburg transferred the Kurkölner share in 1276 to the House of Westerburg.

The house Westerburg expanded from the 1279 Schaumburg. To weaken the position of the castle, built by Baldwin Baldwin Luxembourg, the stone castle near the Schaumburg. There was a long dispute, was in consequence of the place Baldwin stone isolated in 1321 from the reign of Schaumburg and a town.

Until the 15th century the house Westerburg was able to acquire all other shares of the castle. From 1557 the house of Leiningen- Westerburg resided Schaumburg, a side branch of the House Westerburg, at the Schaumburg. 1656 sold Georg Wilhelm von Leiningen castle and lordship to Agnes of Effern, the Count Peter Melander of Holzappel widow, which united the rule of Schaumburg with the county Holzappel. Agnes died in the same year; the Schaumburg remained in the possession of their female offspring: House of Nassau - Dillenburg (1656-1707), Anhalt -Bernburg - Schaumburg (1707-1812), Habsburg -Lorraine ( 1812-1867 ).

From 1847 to 1867 had Archduke Stefan of Austria, Schaumburg. He had to leave his native Hungary in 1848 during the Revolution and built from 1850 to 1855, the Schaumburg -consuming in neo-Gothic style to the present castle, designed by architect Carl Boos, who also had the construction management. Stefan of Austria sent a picture gallery, a, a library, he collected coins, leaving behind a considerable mineral collection. He was in Berlin make two larger than life heralds, now adorn the main entrance to the castle, and entertained a small zoo. Only the magnificent hall, which is located in whole width of the building between the two towers and is limited by the large, west-facing window, never end. Neither Archduke Stefan still later owner built from the planned grand premises and he is still unrendered in kit form as the builders left it unfinished in 1855. The construction of the Lahn Valley Railway 1862 Schaumburg was easily accessible and is a meeting place of nobles from all over Europe.

The childless Archduke Stefan bequeathed the castle to the youngest son of his cousin Peter, his cousin Duke Georg Ludwig von Oldenburg. The House of Oldenburg possessed the castle of 1867. Until 1888 the same time the House of Waldeck- Pyrmont laid claim to the plant. After twenty years of trial she was awarded in 1888 Georg Viktor of Waldeck -Pyrmont.

At the last aristocratic owner of the castle came in 1967 with the death of Josias of Waldeck and Pyrmont. His son and heir Wittekind of Waldeck and Pyrmont sold it in 1983 along with the inventory of 15 million DM Schaumburg should be converted into a hotel with adjoining golf course. This plan fell through, and the decline of substance strode out continues.

After selling 1990 then six million German marks, the castle in 2011 for 1.3 million euros was for sale again. The end of 2012 the Schaumburg was sold to a Turkish investor group planned there by its own account, to set up an educational institution. Such construction is not carried so far.

The carefully guided through the centuries Schaumburg complete archive was acquired by the State of Rhineland -Palatinate and has since been in the State Archives in Koblenz.

Plant

The castle is a three-wing building on a mountaintop. Its present appearance it has received in the expansion from 1850 to 1855 and is designed according to the ideal of the romantic Rhine. The castle is dominated by an elongated three-storey palace with octagonal corner towers of basalt. In the southeast corner of the palace there is a 42 meters high tower, which is supposed to represent a keep. As access to the castle, a gate system was created in the north.

From the medieval castle is very little available. There are still remnants of the door in the south of the castle, the Zwinger and the remains of the bailey with a Flankierungsturm. The east wing is a late medieval building, but he was heavily remodeled in the construction work under Archduke Stefan of Austria.

Input with two larger than life heralds

Schweitzer Haus in the staircase to the main gate

Jerusalem Cross in the chapel

Others

The Schaumburg castle served in 1999 as a backdrop for the fictional high school from the horror film Scream - cause I'll kill you!.