Metternich Castle is an ancient castle in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is also known as the Beilstein Castle (Beilstein Burg), being within the municipal bounds of in Beilstein, Rhineland-Palatinate.

History

The history of the castle goes back to 1268 when the castle (referred to as Bilstein Castle) was first mentioned. It is thought the castle is even older, with some historians indicating 1129 as the year of construction.

Until the first half of 17th century, the castle was owned by Counts von Nassau-Dillenburg. In 1637, the castle became the property of the House of Metternich, hence its current name, Metternich Castle. The last member of the family to own the castle was Klemens von Metternich, one of the most famous diplomats of the Austrian Empire – he was foreign minister from 1809 to 1848.

In 1689, during the Nine Years' War, the castle was destroyed by French troops.

Metternich Castle

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Der Wohnturm Hofgut Lehmen (auch: Wohnturm Lehmer Hof oder Wohnturm Lehmen; im Ortsdialekt Leemạ Thǫn ist ein romanischer Wohnturm im Tal der Mosel in der Gemeinde Ediger-Eller, die zur Verbandsgemeinde Cochem im Landkreis Cochem-Zell in Rheinland-Pfalz gehört.

Geschichte und Beschreibung

Das genaue Erbauungsdatum des Turms ist nicht bekannt. Die Herren von Lehmen werden erstmals 1227 genannt. Der Turm wird zum ersten Mal 1245 urkundlich erwähnt[1] und stammt wohl aus der ersten Hälfte des 13. Jahrhunderts. Nach dendrochronologischen Untersuchungen der Balken des heute als Baudenkmal geschützten Turms wird die Fällung der verwendeten Bäume auf die Jahre 1233/34 datiert, so dass der Turm wohl zu dieser Zeit oder kurz danach errichtet wurde.

Das Rittergeschlecht von Lehmen stellte Generale und Oberste unter Kaiser Sigismund von Luxemburg und unter den Herzögen von Lothringen. Es starb im 17. Jahrhundert in männlicher Linie aus. Beerbt wurde es von dem Geschlecht de Roben. Diese hatten ihr Stammhaus Burg Krickelshausen in Lontzen, heute in der belgischen Provinz Lüttich gelegen. 1791 gehörte das ‚Gut zu Leimen‘ dem Marquis de Roben, einem spanischen Brigadegeneral. An der kleinen Burganlage befanden sich eine Siedlung und eine Kapelle. Ursprünglich Hauskapelle der Herrschaft von Lehmen, wurde sie später öffentlich genutzt und mit vielen Stiftungen bedacht. Etwa 1801 wurde die Hofanlage von den de Robens aufgegeben. In der Siedlung Lehmen lebten einst 14 Familien, 1827 waren es nur noch 26 Personen, und die letzten zogen gegen Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts nach Ediger. Der Hochaltar der Kapelle wurde später in die Kreuzkapelle oberhalb Ediger überführt.

Der Turm ist (neben geringen Mauerresten) der letzte steinerne Zeuge des „Hofguts Lehmen“. In den Jahren 1986/87 wurde der Turm von der Ortsgemeinde Ediger-Eller restauriert. Im ersten Obergeschoss befindet sich der Eingang, zu dem heute eine bei der Rekonstruktion neu erbaute hölzerne Treppenanlage mit Vordach führt.

Der Turm besitzt viereinhalb Etagen, wobei die oberste mit einem Zinnenkranz versehen ist. Er ist aus den vor Ort vorkommenden Schieferbruchsteinen errichtet, ist unverputzt und hat heute eine Höhe von etwa 16 Metern. Er besitzt einen heute noch vorhandenen Kaminschacht und konnte somit beheizt werden, sodass er nicht nur der Verteidigung diente, sondern auch bewohnt werden konnte.

Der Wohnturm kann nur von außen besichtigt und nicht bestiegen werden.

Wohnturm Hofgut Lehmen

It is generally assumed that Cochem Castle was built around the year 1000 by the palatinate count Ezzo, son and successor to palatinate count Hermann Pusilius. The castle was first mentioned in a document in 1051 when Richeza, Ezzo's oldest daughter and former Queen of Poland, gave the castle to her nephew palatine count Henry I. Even when Ezzo's family ceased to be palatinate counts, Cochem remained connected to the title of the palatinate counts. Years later, in 1151, king Konrad III put an end to a dispute concerning the succession by occupying the castle with troupes. Like this, he finally took control of the castle, which became an imperial fiefdom. Thus, Cochem became an imperial castle in the time when the Staufer dynasty reigned in Germany. From this time on, imperial ministers - with the title of "Lord of the castle" - were installed to administer the castle and the surrounding properties.

In 1294, king Adolf of Nassau pawned the castle and the city of Cochem as well as the surrounding imperial property of about 50 villages to Boemund I of Trier in order to pay for his coronation as German emperor. But neither Adolf nor his successor, King Albrecht I of Austria could redeem the pledge. For this reason the archbishops of Trier kept Cochem as a hereditary fiefdom until 1794. Under the reign of Archbishop Balduin (1307-1354) the old castle was enlarged and fortified. From 1419, the Lords of the castle were replaced by local magistrates.

When the troupes of King Louis XIV (called Sun King) invaded the Rhine and the Moselle area in the war of succession of the Palatinate, Cochem castle, too, was occupied in 1688. After the town had been completely occupied by French troupes in March 1689, the castle was set on fire, undermined and blown up on May 19th of 1689.
The French Sun King’s troops almost completely destroyed the town of Cochem. The castle remained in ruins until 1868, when a Berlin business- man, Mr. Louis Ravené, bought the castle grounds and the ruins. Shortly after his purchase he began to rebuild Cochem Castle incorporating the remains of the late Gothic buildings into the main castle structure.

The entire structure was rebuilt in the then popular Neo-Gothic architectural style. This style corresponded to the romantic ideals in vogue in Germany in the 19th century. The trend at the time throughout Germany was for nobility or other wealthy persons to purchase and refurbish castle ruins as family summer residences. The Ravené family followed this trend and used the castle as a family summer residence.
Today the castle is still well-equipped with Renaissance and Baroque furniture, which was carefully collected by the Ravené family. Since 1978 the castle has been owned by the town of Cochem and is run by "Reichsburg Cochem Ltd." Cochem Castle, situated on an outstanding hill more than 100 metres above the river Moselle, is a popular tourist attraction.

Cochem Castle

Die Burg Coraidelstein, auch Burg Klotten genannt, ist die Ruine einer Hangburg bei 177 m ü. NN auf einer Bergkuppe an der Mosel oberhalb der Gemeinde Klotten im Landkreis Cochem-Zell in Rheinland-Pfalz.

Geschichte

Der örtlichen Überlieferung nach wurde die Höhenburg 960 von Pfalzgraf Hermann I. gegründet. Die erste sichere Erwähnung der Reichsburg Klotten stammt jedoch erst von 1294. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt gelangte die Burg an den Trierer Erzbischof. Die Übertragung an Kurtrier wurde 1346 bestätigt. Ein gleichnamiges Rittergeschlecht lässt sich schon früher nachweisen. Von 1410 bis 1542 hatten die Herren von Winneburg die Burg als Lehen. Danach kam es zur Teilung, 1545 war Heinrich von Hagen mit einem Teil der Burg belehnt, während die Erben der Winneburger, die Haust von Ulmen, die Höin von Hartenfels sowie Hugo und Gerlach Zandt von Merl ebenfalls Anteile an der Burg innehatten. Ab 1654 hat Johann Eberhard von Kesselstatt Burg Klotten als kurtrier Lehnen und war dann bis 1917 im Besitz der Reichsfreiherren von Kesselstatt.

Die Burg wurde bis 1830 bewohnt und ist zu einem unbestimmten Zeitpunkt zur Ruine geworden.

Im Jahre 1917 erwarb Hans Harney (1877–1954), ein ehemaliger Konsul und früherer Direktor der Deutschen Bank in Düsseldorf, die Burg von den Grafen von Kesselstatt und ließ dort zwei Wohnhäuser errichten. 1952 hatte dessen Tochter Else Harney gemeinsam mit ihrem Lebensgefährten Wendelin Stahl dort eine Töpferwerkstatt errichtet. Nach ihrem Tod 1984 betrieb Wendelin Stahl die Werkstatt dort noch bis zu seinem Tod im Jahr 2000 gemeinsam mit seiner einstigen Schülerin Ayca Riedinger.

Beschreibung

Ältester Teil der Burg ist die Ruine des romanischen Bergfriedes, der aufgrund einer ausgeprägten Lücke im Mauerwerk nicht bestiegen werden kann. Das Wohngebäude (Palas) wurde erst im 16. Jahrhundert erbaut und später ergänzt.

Burg Coraidelstein

Die Winneburg, auch Winnenburg genannt, ist die Ruine einer Höhenburg auf dem Gebiet der Stadt Cochem an der Mosel.

Geschichte

Die Burg wurde in der zweiten Hälfte des 13. Jahrhunderts errichtet und ist Stammsitz der Herren von Winnenberg. Erstmals urkundlich erwähnt wurde sie im Jahre 1304, als Wirich von Winnenberg die Burg dem Trierer Erzbischof zu Lehen aufträgt. In den darauffolgenden Jahrhunderten wurde die Burganlage stetig erweitert, blieb aber im Besitz der Herren von Winnenberg. Nachdem dieses Geschlecht 1637 ausgestorben war, gelangte die Burg in der Mitte des 17. Jahrhunderts in den Besitz der Familie von Metternich.

1689 wurde die Burg im Verlauf des Pfälzischen Erbfolgekriegs von französischen Truppen belagert, eingenommen und gesprengt. Die Winneburg wurde fortan nicht wieder aufgebaut und blieb Ruine.

Im Jahre 1832 kaufte Klemens Wenzel Lothar von Metternich die Burgruine, ein Wiederaufbau erfolgte aber nicht. Seit 1932 ist sie im Besitz der Stadt Cochem.

Gegenwart

Das Erscheinungsbild der Burgruine wird heute dominiert von dem gut 22 Meter hohen runden Bergfried, der einen Durchmesser von 8,5 Metern aufweist. Er ist vom Moseltal aus gut sichtbar und steht steil auf einem Bergvorsprung über dem Tal des Endertbachs. Der Burgfelsen war noch bis in die zweite Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts mit Weinreben bestanden, besitzt heute aber einen dichten Mischwald. Der Aufstieg aus dem Tal zur Ruine ist steil und eher beschwerlich.

Die Burg wird von Norden her über eine Brücke betreten, die über einen teilweise wieder verschütteten Graben führt. In der weitläufigen Burganlage, die in den letzten Jahren wieder restauriert und somit vor dem weiteren Verfall bewahrt wurde, befinden sich noch zahlreiche deutlich aufragende Reste des Palas, weiterer Wohn- und Wirtschaftsgebäude, der Vorburg und der Ringmauer.

Die Ruine wird nicht bewirtschaftet und ist jederzeit frei zugänglich.

Der Verein Winneburger Tross ist bestrebt, das mittelalterliche Leben auf einer Burg möglichst originalgetreu wiederzugeben und veranstaltet daher mehrmals jährlich Events auf der Winneburg und der Reichsburg Cochem.



Winneburg

Die Burg Arras ist eine im frühen 12. Jahrhundert errichtete Höhenburg bei Alf an der Mosel im rheinland-pfälzischen Landkreis Cochem-Zell.

Geschichte

Während der Spätantike bestand auf dem Gelände der späteren Höhenburg bereits eine befestigte, römische Pferdestation, wie sie in Eifel und Hunsrück vorkam. Von ihr blieb aber nach dem Abzug der Römer über mehrere Jahrhunderte nur eine Wüstung.

Erstmals schriftlich erwähnt wurde die Burg Arras im Jahr 1120, als sie anlässlich der Weihe der Burgkapelle als „castrum atrebatum“ in einer Urkunde erscheint. Angebliche Nennungen aus dem 10. Jahrhundert sind wohl dem Bereich der Sage zuzuordnen. Spätmittelalterliche Legenden berichten von einer Errichtung der Burg zur Zeit der Ungarneinfälle. Die verbreitete Angabe, der Bergfried sei vermutlich um das Jahr 936 vollendet worden, ist definitiv falsch.

Um 1140 erscheint die Burg erneut in der schriftlichen Überlieferung. Anlässlich einer Teilung werden mehrere Bauten genannt, darunter ein Tor, die Kapelle und ein Brunnen, die gemeinschaftlich genutzt wurden, sowie die dem Grafen Friedrich I. von Vianden zustehende Ringmauer, der Graben und ein Turm.

Die Burg war zunächst im Besitz der Pfalzgrafen, später auch der Erzbischöfe und Kurfürsten von Trier. Nachdem sie 1137 von den Herren von Entersburg erobert worden war, belagerte Erzbischof Albero sie erfolgreich und gewann sie für Kurtrier zurück.

Das Rittergeschlecht von Arras hatte seit 1179 seinen Wohnsitz auf der Burg Arras, als Hermann von Harras, Vogt von Eller, in einer Urkunde mitgeteilt wurde, dass er der Besitzer der Burg sei.

Am 2. Oktober 1439 wurde Ludwig Zandt von Merl, Vogt im (Zeller) Hamme, durch Erzbischof Raban mit einem Burglehen zu Arras belehnt. In einer weiteren Urkunde vom 16. Oktober 1439 erhielt auch Ulrich von Metzenhausen anstelle seines erkrankten Vaters Johann einen Teil der Burg Arras als Lehen.[4] Im Jahre 1493 bezeugte Heinrich von Metzenhausen, dass er auch mit einem Teil der Burg Arras durch Erzbischof Johann II. belehnt worden sei.

Im Oktober 1689, während des Pfälzischen Erbfolgekrieges schleifte die französische Besatzung der nahegelegenen Festung Mont Royal Burg Arras bis auf die Grundmauern. Nur der Bergfried widerstand allen Sprengversuchen.

Im Oktober 1794 erklärte die von den französischen Revolutionstruppen eingesetzte Verwaltung die Ruine und die zugehörigen Ländereien zu Staatseigentum. Der Beschluss, sie zu verkaufen, wurde aber erst nach 1815, nach dem Übergang des ehemals kurtrierischen Gebiets an Preußen, umgesetzt.

1826 erwarb Ferdinand Remy aus der gleichnamigen Bendorfer Industriellenfamilie die Burgruine und den damit verbundenen 70 Hektar großen Wald. Nach Remys Tod erbten seine drei Töchter Burg Arras, die sie um 1850 an den Weingutsbesitzer Barzen aus Alf veräußerten. 1895 kaufte der Bergwerksdirektor Traugott Wilhelm Dyckerhoff aus Herne die Ruine und ließ die Burg ab 1907 neu aufbauen. Die Denkmalschutzbehörde der damaligen Rheinprovinz genehmigte den Wiederaufbau unter der Einbeziehung des Bergfrieds und der noch vorhandenen Mauerreste. Die Baupläne dazu stammten von dem Trierer Kirchenbaumeister Peter Marx (1872–1952) Dyckerhoff wurde auf dem Gelände der Burg bestattet. Das war möglich, da seit dem Mittelalter ein verbrieftes, burgeigenes Bestattungsrecht existierte, das 1952 behördlich bestätigt wurde.

Im November 1938 verkauften die Erben Dyckerhoffs die Burg an Ernst Rademacher, Kunsthändler aus Bochum († 1979), und den Richter Dr. Jur. Theo Homburg († 1985). Sie ließen 1954 den Anbau des sogenannten Kavaliersflügels wiedererrichten.

In den Jahren 1978 und 1984 erwarb das Ehepaar Maria und Otto Keuthen (1926–2009) aus Briedel die Burg und richtete ein Hotel sowie ein Restaurant darin ein. In einem Gedenkzimmer des Burgmuseums präsentiert Keuthen, der Neffe von Wilhelmine Lübke geb. Keuthen (1885–1981), einen Teil des Nachlasses des Bundespräsidenten Heinrich Lübke (1894–1972), darunter einen Wandbehang aus dem Besitz von Madame de Pompadour, den der französische Staatspräsident Charles de Gaulle in den 1960er Jahren Lübke geschenkt hatte. Im Heinrich-Lübke-Haus an seinem Geburtsort sind weitere Erinnerungsstücke zu sehen. Darüber hinaus zeigt das Museum neben Rüstungen und Waffen sowie Archivalien Kurtriers die mit etwa 200 Bildern größte Privatsammlung alter Moselansichten.

Burg Arras

Eltz Castle (German: Burg Eltz) is a medieval castle nestled in the hills above the Moselle River between Koblenz and Trier, Germany. It is still owned by a branch of the same family (the Eltz family) that lived there in the 12th century, 33 generations ago. Bürresheim Castle (Schloss Bürresheim), Eltz Castle and Lissingen Castle are the only castles on the left bank of the Rhine in Rhineland-Palatinate which have never been destroyed.

The castle is surrounded on three sides by the Elzbach River, a tributary on the north side of the Moselle. It is on a 70-metre (230 ft) rock spur, on an important Roman trade route between rich farmlands and their markets. The Eltz Forest has been declared a nature reserve by Flora-Fauna-Habitat and Natura 2000.

The castle is a so-called Ganerbenburg, or castle belonging to a community of joint heirs. This is a castle divided into several parts, which belong to different families or different branches of a family; this usually occurs when multiple owners of one or more territories jointly build a castle to house themselves. Only a very rich medieval European lord could afford to build a castle on his land; many of them only owned one village, or even only a part of a village. This was an insufficient base to afford a castle. Such lords lived in a knight's house, which was a simple house, scarcely bigger than those of his tenants. In some parts of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, inheritance law required that the estate be divided between all successors. These successors, each of whose individual inheritance was too small to build a castle of his own, could build a castle together, where each owned one separate part for housing and all of them together shared the defensive fortification. In the case of Eltz, the family comprised three branches and the existing castle was enhanced with three separate complexes of buildings.

The main part of the castle consists of the family portions. At up to eight stories, these eight towers reach heights of between 30 and 40 metres (98 and 131 ft). They are fortified with strong exterior walls; to the yard they present a partial framework. About 100 members of the owners' families lived in the over 100 rooms of the castle.

Platteltz, a Romanesque keep, is the oldest part of the castle, having begun in the 9th century as a simple manor with an earthen palisade. By 1157 the fortress was an important part of the empire under Frederick Barbarossa, standing astride the trade route from the Moselle Valley and the Eifel region. In 1472 the Rübenach house, built in the Late Gothic style, was completed. Remarkable are the Rübenach Lower Hall, a living room, and the Rübenach bedchamber with its opulently decorated walls.

Between 1490 and 1540, the Rodendorf house was constructed, also in Late Gothic style. It contains the vaulted "banner-room".

The Kempenich houses were finished about 1530. Every room of this part of the castle could be heated; in contrast, other castles might only have one or two heated rooms.

The Rübenach and Rodendorf families' homes in the castle are open to the public, while the Kempenich branch of the family uses the other third of the castle. The public is admitted seasonally, from April to October. Visitors can view the treasury, with gold, silver and porcelain artifacts and the armory of weapons and suits of armor.

From 1965 to 1992, an engraving of Eltz Castle was used on the German 500 Deutsche Mark note.

The starting events of Le Feu de Wotan, a Belgian bande dessinée in the Yoko Tsuno series, take place in Eltz Castle. The castle was also used as the exterior for the fictional American military lunatic asylum in the 1979 William Peter Blatty movie, The Ninth Configuration, starring Stacy Keach.

Eltz castle also inspired the castle featured chiefly on the World of Tanks map Himmelsdorf and its winter derivative. The model of the castle is also reused on the maps Westfield and Erlenberg.

Eltz Castle

The ruins of Trutzeltz Castle, also known as Balduineltz, Baldeneltz or Neueltz, are the remains of a hill castle in the valley of the Elz in the parish of Wierschem near the town of Münstermaifeld. It was built as a counter-castle during the medieval Eltz Feud in the Moselle region.

History
The castle was built by the Archbishop of Trier, Baldwin during the Eltz Feud (1331-1336/1337) as a siege castle to invest Eltz Castle. The Eltz Feud arose in connexion with Baldwin's territorial policy. During his reign, Baldwin sought to extend the influence of Trier along the Moselle. He repeatedly came up against resistance from knights who had refused to recognise their vassal (tenant) status, and 21 of them - the lords of Eltz, Waldeck, Schoneck and Ehrenberg - agreed a formal defensive alliance. Baldwin attempted a direct assault on Eltz which failed. In response, he had the siege castle of Trutzeltz built, probably in 1331. The castle was also referred to as Baldeneltz, probably after the archbishop. The following year he also erected the Rauschenburg as a counter castle to the three other castles allied with Eltz. That Baldeneltz was probably built in a very short time to put the lords of Eltz under pressure, can be seen inter alia from the building material used: mostly small pieces of broken stone from the vicinity of the siege castle itself. It was held together with a strong clay mortar, which however cannot withstand a Central European climate in the long run. For a siege castle this was not important, but it is remarkable in that light that the continued existence of the castle was contractually assured in a subsequent peace treaty.

Eltz Castle was bombarded from the siege castle with rock catapults (trebuchets), but was not able to be captured. In the course of the fighting, Baldwin also used an early form of cannon, the pot-de-fer, which has been determined from archaeological finds at Eltz.

The Lord of Eltz and the other warring knights finally had to agree to end hostilities in 1333. The feud was not officially ended, however, until 1336 by an "atonement" treaty (a Sühne). A certain John of Eltz continued the conflict. He had previously fought against Baldwin even before the Eltz Feud in the Kempenich Feud. and was therefore not ready to enter into a peace treaty. Baldwin now displayed his negotiation skills and magnanimity in drawing his opponent onto his side: after Trutzeltz had been effectively "legitimised" by the peace treaty with the other knights and its survival secured by them, he transferred it in 1337 to John of von Eltz as a fief and made him a hereditary burgrave.

On 9 January 1354 King Charles IV enfeoffed Archbishop Baldwin of Trier with Eltz Castle for his loyal service against Emperor Henry VII.

Trutzeltz Castle soon lost its significance, was no longer maintained and was recorded in 1453 as derelict. In a 1453 deed, Trutzeltz Castle is described as "currently unoccupied and as a result deserted and run down ".



Burg Trutzeltz

Pyrmont Castle (German: Burg Pyrmont) stands west of Münstermaifeld near Roes and Pillig on a slate rock outcrop above a waterfall on the Elzbach in the southern Eifel mountains in Germany. It is on the parish of Roes in the county of Cochem-Zell.

History

The rock castle was built at the end of the 12th century on count palatine territory by Cuno of Schönburg, whose son Cuno II called himself "Lord of Pyrmont", the first member of his family to use the title. The castle is first recorded in 1225.

In 1441, Cuno VI of Pyrmont laid down by his will and testament how his inheritance (and thus also Pyrmont Castle) should be divided between his three quarrelsome sons, Henry VI, John and Frederick, in order to protect the ancestral seat of the dynasty from division by inheritance. But this did not prevent the squabblers from fighting over the castle after their father's death. Henry VI of Pyrmont had the Reichsacht imposed on him as a result of the inheritance dispute and the administration of his share of the castle was transferred to his brother Frederick.

The castle did not witness more peaceful times until the second half of the 15th century, when Emperor Maximilian I elevated Henry IV, Lord of Pyrmont, to the status of a Freiherr. Although his marriages were blessed with two sons, his daughter, Elisabeth, was eventually to inherit the Pyrmont estate. Since she married Philip of Eltz, the castle fell to this important comital dynasty.

But even the Eltz family did not always agree on the distribution of their inheritance. In 1652, one of the Eltz heiresses sold her share to members of the family of Waldbott of Bassenheim because of the ongoing disputes who, two years later, were appointed imperial Freiherren thanks to their ownership of this estate.

In 1695, another Eltz share in Pyrmont Castle went to the Electorate of Trier and was also acquired by the Waldbott of Bassenheim family in 1710.

In 1712, the Waldbotts began to convert the medieval castle into a prestigious schloss. For example, the palas was increased in height to three storeys and fitted with large windows. The present perron, on the south side of the castle, dates to this period.

In 1789, during the French Revolution, the owners fled from French troops to their estates on the right bank of the Rhine, and just five years later the castle was seized as French national property. She suffered the fate of many castle estates west of the Rhine: in 1810, she was auctioned off by the French, with seven hectares of land, for 4,550 francs. Its new owner, Franz Georg Severus Weckbecker from Münstermaifeld, sold everything of any value. The remains of the buildings then gradually deteriorated.

In 1818, Count Friedrich Waldbott von Bassenheim bought back the castle. Under his son, Count Hugo Waldbott, it was forcibly auctioned in 1862. Many owners were to follow him, but none rebuilt the ruins. Only the family of the architect, Franz Krause, who worked as a draughtsman for The Art Monuments of the Rhine Province, made part of the dilapidated castle complex habitable again from 1912 onwards. However, there was a lack of money for further major restoration.

In 1963, two Düsseldorf architects, Helmut Hentrich and Hubert Petschnigg, bought the remnants of Pyrmont Castle. After its purchase, they began with safety work and a gradual reconstruction, especially of the inner bailey. In 1990, the castle grounds were opened to visitors. In the interior rooms, old furniture and furnishings can nowadays be seen, which fill the rooms with history and partly recall the former owners of the castle. In the rebuilt outer bailey is a souvenir shop.

Pyrmont Castle 

Bischofstein Castle is a castle by the Moselle in Germany. It sits between Moselkern and Hatzenport; these and the castle face the borough of Burgen. It was a stronghold belonging to the Archbishops of Treves.

Characteristics are its tall, cylindrical tower girt midway-up with white plaster and the ruinous walls of a small chapel adjoining. The tower is specifically a donjon, (a keep).

The castle was built in 1270, destroyed in 1689 and rebuilt again in 1930. It was purchased in 1954 by Fichte Gymnasium in Krefeld, Germany and currently serves as the school's retreat center.

History

The Castle of the Holy Bishop Nicetius

Folk tales and old Moselle-area historiographies allege that Bischofstein Castle began as the palace for the Holy Bishop Nicetius (527-566). These tales are based upon a poem by Bishop Venantius Fortunatus (530– ~600), who traveled through the Rhine and Moselle regions with East Frankish King Chilbert around the year 566.

In the 22-verse comprehensive poem, which is entitled "De castello nicetil espiscopi Trevirensis super Mosellam", Fortunas describes the magnificent Castle of Nicetius as having 30 towers, a palace with marble columns and a mighty tower protecting it from across the Moselle.

One clue that the castle described in the poem is actually Burg Bishofstein comes from a torn piece of parchment written by historian Browner in 1670 which references the poem's title "De castello Bischofstein super Mosellam aB. Nicetio extrueto". The validity of this parchment was already being debated in the mid 18th century by historian and auxiliary bishop Johann Nikolaus von Hontheim. The actual location of the Castle of Nicetius is unknown, but it is accepted that it is somewhere in the Kobern region of Germany. In any case, it is no longer accepted as the precursor for Burg Bischofstein.

1270 to 1824

Burg Bischofstein was probably built in 1270. Archbishop Arnold II. von Isenburg is often cited as the builder, but this is doubtful, as he was appointed Archbishop in 1242. By this time, Archdeacon of Trier Heinrich von Bolanden, who is documented as completing the construction of Burg Bischofstein. This comes from a document dated June 10, 1242 in which von Bolanden promised to replace the Monasteries of Laach and Rumerdorf Schulden. This document was approved by Pope Innocent IV himself on October 29, 1246.

The original builders are unknown. It is known, however, that Heinrich von Bolanden bought the half-completed Burg and paid for the rest of the construction himself. This is confirmed in a document dated September 11, 1273. In this document, von Bolanden bequeathed the completed Burg Bischofstein unto the Church of Trier. The conditions of the bestowal were such that he and all subsequent holders of his office would have a lifelong abode and that they should keep feudal responsibility over the Burg. As a reward for von Bolanden all of the then accepted feudal duties were fulfilled.

His successor Hermann von Weilnau granted Arch Bishop Peter von Nassau the fee-simple to Burg Bischofstein in 1303. In the event of war, Burg Bischofstein was at the Arch Bishop's disposal. Heinrich von Pfaffendorf, the third Archdeacon of Bischofstein, pledged in 1329 that:

he would not tolerate any enemies of the Archbishop at the Burg
he would protect the section of the Moselle above which the Burg stood
he would not accommodate any vassals at the Burg without the approval of the Arch Bishop.
Other successors were Gottfried von Brandenburg and Friedrich Pfalzgraf bei Rhein. After 1501 there is no record of investiture.

It is said that in 1552 Markgraf Albrecht von Brandenburg attempted, without success, to besiege Bischofstein. This is, however, undocumented.

The Thirty Years' War negatively affected the Moselle. For example, on October 26, 1631, Louis XIV left the nearby village of Münstermaifeld destroyed. Despite this, a detailed visitor log in the Burg's chapel from 1680 indicates that Burg Bischofstein endured the war without damage. In 1688, during the War of the Grand Alliance, Louis XIV sent troops to weaken the Palatinate following its refusal to ratify the Truce of Regensburg. These French troops succeeded in destroying Burg Bischofstein in 1689.

In 1794 the French annexed part of the Rhineland and the French regime liquidated many of the Church's possessions because they were seen as French national property. The ruins of Burg Bischofstein, which at that time belong to the St. Castor monastery in Karden, were treated as such. They were sold at a state auction to the winemaker Nicolaus Artz on September 29, 1803.

In 1824 it was reported that a house with seven inhabitants was built at the site of the ruins. After this the ownership of the ruins is unknown.

1880 to today

Until 1880 the castle lay in ruins. At this time the Burg belonged to the Bienen family from Rheinberg. On 11 April 1930 the heirs sold the castle to a businessman from Darmstadt named Erich Deku, who wanted to rebuild the castle for use as a summer home. It was not reconstructed, but used the preserved walls newly erected. In order to achieve this, builders had to create a pathway for construction vehicles. This partly required rock blasting. Deku furnished the Burg with an extensive art collection. Below the castle, he discovered a polyptych from 1530.

The reconstruction that stands today was completed by the Neuerburg family from Trier in 1938. Aenny Neuerburg bought the Burg at auction when bankruptcy proceedings against Deku were opened in 1936. The entire art collection was included in the offer.

From 1941 to 1946 the Burg served as a sanitorium for soldiers and as a hospital and refugee safehouse under the leadership of Aenny Neuerburg. Mrs. Neuerburg's son Raymond then took over the leadership position and with his family operated a hostel for foreigners. After Aenny's death the Neuerburg family put the Burg up for sale.

On 29 June 1954 the Schullandheimverein (association for the construction of a school retreat center) of Fichte Gymnasium in Krefeld bought the Burg for only 80,000 DM (about $360,000 today). They then began to construct the retreat center.

Today, Burg Bischofstein is a designated and protected historical spot; not as an 800-year-old castle, but as an example of the architectural style of the 1930s.

Tower

The tower, 20 metres (66 ft) tall, is easily recognizable by the white ring about halfway up its height. The ring is a remaining piece of plaster. In the Middle Ages, it was common for castle towers to be completely plastered. Hundreds of years' weathering washed most of the plaster away. At the height of the ring there was originally a wooden parapet which was destroyed by fire in 1689 and so burned itself into the wall of the tower.

Renovation

In 1997 the tower underwent a renovation. The battlements were newly reinforced and the tower platform was completely reconstructed. Wooden steps were constructed inside the tower in the architectural style of the Middle Ages and today, visitors to Burg Bischofstein can climb to the top of the tower and enjoy the beautiful view of the Moselle Valley. The city flag of Krefeld flies at the tower summit.

Stories

Through history, many tales have been spun about the tower and its white ring. One explains that bands of robbers regularly attacked tradesmen on the trade route that the Burg protected. To put an end to this, Bischof von Trier put the ring around the tower, and said that every captured robber would be then hanged from it to demonstrate to others what would become of those of this kind”.

Another story claims that there was a huge flood and the ring marks the high-water mark, while another version asserts that Bischof von Trier once freed the tower's Lord from the flood. To thank him for this, the Lord fixed the ring to the tower as a symbol of the "Bischof's ring" and at the flood level of the Moselle.


Burg Bischofstein

Ulmen Castle, locally known as Burg Ulmen or the Ulmener Burgen, lies in the town with the same name, in the Rhineland-Palatinate region in Germany.

The site is mostly called Ulmener Burgen (so, Ulmen Castles) because there used to be two castles here; an upper and a lower one. The lower one, however, has completely disappeared.

Ulmen Castle was first mentioned in 1074 but is supposed to have been built around the year 1000. It is situated on top of a ridge around the Ulmener Maar. This lake is actually an ancient volcano crater and the ridge is the embankment of tuff, formed from the erupted material of the former volcano.

Around 1200 the upper castle was the home of Heinrich von Ulmen, a knight who took part in the Fourth Crusade and brought back a lot of Byzantine treasures. In 1292 the lower castle was built to better protect the town. During the next century, Ulmen Castle was the residence of succesful robber barons.

In 1490 the town and castle became a township of the Electorate of Trier.

Between 1679 and 1689 Ulmen Castle was repeatedly damaged by fires and sieges by the troops of Louis XIV, King of France. The French troops finally destroyed it. In 1789 only the upper castle was restored, only to fall into disrepair again during the 19th century.

In 1794 French revolutionary troops invaded the region. The castle was confiscated. In 1822 it was bought by a private citizen who used it as a quarry. And when the town almost completely burned down in 1831, it was largely rebuilt with stones from the castle.

At present Ulmen Castle is a freely accessible town park. 