Schmidtburg

Schmidt Castle in Hahnenbachtal

The Schmidt Castle is a ruined hill fort in Schneppenbach, one of the community association Kirn -Land belonging municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland- Palatinate.

Geographical location

The ruins of a hilltop castle is located in a river bend at 321 m above sea level. NN above the tap stream valley in the Hunsrück. On the opposite side of the valley are the Altburg, a Celtic fortress, and the visitor mine Herrenberg, an abandoned slate mine to reach on a walk.

Description

The castle is divided into an upper and a lower castle and is one of the largest castles in the area. The upper castle is separated by a moat from the rest of the system. It consisted of several buildings and a dungeon, whose remains were found during excavations. The upper castle was the seat of the bailiff of the Office Kurtrierer same name. The extensive area of the lower castle was built with numerous Burgmann houses.

History

The Schmidt castle was probably built already 926 by the three Frankish noblemen Franco, Hunpert and Norpolt to protect against Hungary invasions, a first secure written reference but not until 1084 in conjunction with the new owner Emicho. His son, Emicho II, inherited the castle and Schmidt was later nicknamed Comes silvestris Wild Graf.

The castle is one of the strongholds of the tribe Wildgrafen. 1258 and 1277 were made divisions of ownership and the formation of several lines. Personal dispute between the counts of lines Schmidtburg and Kyrburg led to Lehnensauftragung the Schmidtburg to the Elector and Archbishop Baldwin of Trier. After the extinction of Schmidtburger this line drew a castle as a completed fief. Until 1342 the Wildgrafen tried to get through various feuds unsuccessful, the castle back under their control. Thus, the Schmidt castle was to kurtrierischen country castle and seat of an office.

In the 14th century, was located on the lower castle, a large number of knights families who lived as a castle men at the castle. During the 15th and 16th century, most of these homes were abandoned. Only the family of the Schenk von Schmidt castle remained on the lower castle and built the north-west corner of a largely autonomous system.

While the lower castle increasingly fell in the 16th century, the remaining fortifications were completely destroyed during the Nine Years' War by the French in 1688.

Only a house and a farm building remained the official men who managed the office Kurtrierische from there until the end of the 18th century.

But John Buckler, called the Schinderhannes, took the castle ruins on the run from Kirner and Mainz gendarmes as accommodation.

Events

Every year on the weekend before Pentecost take place Hunsrücker the archeology days on the Schmidtburg.

Gallery

Tower of the present Castle Administration

View from the upper castle on the lower castle

Schmidtburg and Hahnenbach