Idstein Castle (German: Burg Idstein), later the Renaissance style Schloss Idstein, is located in Idstein in the county of Rheingau-Taunus, Germany. The hill castle was the residenz of Nassau-Idstein. The castle's Witches' Tower (Hexenturm) is one of the town's oldest buildings and a substantial local landmark.

The original castle of Idstein was built around 1170 on a rocky ridge in the centre of the Old Town. Within the inner bailey, only the bergfried, the old district courthouse, the 15th century gatehouse and the palas have survived from the castle.

In the early 17th century, during the time of Prince George Augustus Samuel of Nassau-Idstein, a Renaissance style schloss was built on the site of the outer ward. Its Baroque interior was completed around 1714. The architect was Maximilian von Welsch, the stucco work, especially in the so-called Emperor Chamber (Kaisergemach), was carried out by Carlo Maria Pozzi. The ceiling paintings and other paintings were by Valentin David Albrecht and Luca Antonio Colomba.

In 1905 the schloss became a Convalescent Home for Members of the Royal Prussian Army.

The upper bailey was demolished and the bergfried was nicknamed Hexenturm (Witches' Tower) in the 19th century. There were witch trials in the early modern period in Idstein, but these substantially predate the name of this landmark. It is unlikely that anyone was ever accused or imprisoned in the tower for witchcraft. The nickname became widespread around 1900 with the publication of Die Pfarrfrau von Heftrich by Ottokar Schupp (de). The Hexenturm became the landmark of Idstein. At the base of the tower is a plaque in memory of the victims of the witch trials of 1676, listing the names of 31 women and 8 men killed at the end of the rule of John, Count of Nassau-Idstein.

After the First World War, French soldiers were housed in the schloss during the French occupation. In the Second World War, the schloss acted as a military hospital for reserves.

Today the castle houses the Idstein Pestalozzi Gymnasium. Both schloss and bergfried may be visited on request.

A 20-metre-long stone bridge spans the neck ditch between the outer and inner baileys. To its right is a small Renaissance garden. Guided tours are offered with the guides dressed as gardeners of 1702.

Idstein Castle

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Die Burg Hohenstein ist die Ruine einer Felsenburg auf 330 m ü. NN bei Bad Schwalbach im hessischen Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis und gehört zur Gemeinde Hohenstein. Sie ist eine der größten Burgruinen im Taunus.

Geschichte

Die Burg dürfte zwischen 1190 und 1230 von den Grafen von Katzenelnbogen erbaut worden sein.

Seit 1260 diente die Burg der jüngeren Linie der Grafen von Katzenelnbogen als Residenz. Graf Johann III. von Katzenelnbogen (1402–1444) ließ die Burg um 1422 großzügig ausbauen. Es wird vermutet, dass die Anlage zu Beginn des 15. Jahrhunderts bei Auseinandersetzungen mit den Grafen von Nassau zerstört oder schwer beschädigt worden war.

Mit dem Tode Philipps von Katzenelnbogen im Jahre 1479 starben die Grafen von Katzenelnbogen im Mannesstamm aus. Über die Erbtochter Anna, die mit dem Landgrafen Heinrich III. von Hessen-Marburg verheiratet war, kam die gesamte Grafschaft Katzenelnbogen mit der Burg an Hessen.

Um 1604 ließ Landgraf Moritz von Hessen-Kassel die verwahrloste Anlage wiederherstellen. Um 1616 hielt er sich häufig auf der Burg auf. Im Dreißigjährigen Krieg wurde die Burg 1647 durch niederhessische Truppen in Brand geschossen und zerstört. Ein geplanter Wiederaufbau unterblieb.

Heutige Nutzung

Der Großteil der Anlage ist von April bis September für die Öffentlichkeit frei zugänglich (Stand 2020). Über enge Wendeltreppen können sowohl der Bergfried als auch die Wehrgänge der äußeren und inneren Schildmauer begangen werden.

Im Jahr 1968 richtete das Land Hessen einen Hotel- und Gaststättenbetrieb in der Burg ein. Im Jahr 2015 endete mit der Kündigung des Pachtvertrags das gastronomische Angebot auf der Burg. In der Folge war die Burganlage bis 2018 nicht öffentlich zugänglich. 2017 gab es Überlegungen, die darniederliegende touristische Infrastruktur wiederzubeleben. Diese wurden bisher nicht umgesetzt (Stand 2020).

Während des Sommers veranstaltet die Taunusbühne Bad Schwalbach, ein Amateurtheaterverein, auf der Freilichtbühne im Innenhof die „Burgfestspiele Hohenstein.“ Weiterhin ist in der Burg ein Standesamt eingerichtet.

Burg Hohenstein (Taunus)

Wiesbaden City Palace (German: Stadtschloss Wiesbaden or Wiesbadener Stadtschloss) is a neo-classical building in the center of Wiesbaden, Germany. It was completed in 1841 as the principal city residence of the Dukes of Nassau. The palace has several wings, 145 rooms, and is architecturally integrated with a group of ancillary buildings constructed both before and after it was built. With ornate towers, gables and a slate roof laid in herringbone patterns, the three-story complex lends charm and its name to the central square of Wiesbaden: Palace Square (German: Schloßplatz).

The Palace has had a turbulent history. After withstanding the Revolutions of 1848 and annexation by Prussia in 1866, it has served variously as a second home of the German Emperors, a gathering place for soldiers and workers during the German Revolution of 1918–1919, a museum, and a military headquarters for both the Wehrmacht and Allied occupation forces. Damaged during World War II, the Palace has since been restored and portions modernized. Since 1946 it has been the seat of the State Parliament of Hesse (German: Hessischer Landtag). A new Parliamentary Chamber was added to the complex in 2008.

The site where the City Palace now stands has been the center of political power in Wiesbaden for centuries. It was first occupied by a castle from the Early Middle Ages around which the medieval city developed. By 1236 the Counts of Nassau were already in residence, when there is a record of Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich II celebrating Pentecost in the castle church. During this time the city enjoyed the status of Reichsstadt (Free Imperial City), but only briefly. In subsequent wars Wiesbaden was completely destroyed and rebuilt at least three times. During the Renaissance the city became a notable spa town, and Philipp Ludwig III commissioned construction of a New City Palace, completed in 1599. This renewal was not to last, however. The lands of the House of Nassau were reshuffled in inheritances and as lines died out. The Thirty Years' War again devastated the city, with chronicles recording that by 1648 it had barely 40 residents left. In the 1700s, Schloss Biebrich (the "Versailles on the Rhine" on the outskirts of Wiesbaden) became a principal residence of the line of Nassau-Idstein and the City Palace fell into disuse. Little is known about the extent of the old original Castle, but remains of a tower dating back as early as the Frankish period (481–800 CE) were discovered in 1952 during reconstruction of adjacent buildings damaged in the Second World War.

In 1806, the counties of Nassau-Usingen and Nassau-Weilburg merged to form the Duchy of Nassau at the insistence of Napoleon. Frederick Augustus, Duke of Nassau, became the ducal head of state. After the defeat of Napoleon, the Duchy of Nassau joined the German Confederation at the Congress of Vienna in 1815. The capital moved from Weilburg to Wiesbaden and the city became the ducal residence. When Frederick died childless in 1816, the dukedom was transferred to the line of Nassau-Weilburg. His cousin Wilhelm of Nassau-Weilburg became Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau and moved from Weilburg into Schloss Biebrich on the outskirts of Wiesbaden.

By 1826, extensive building began to give the new capital city a magnificent appearance and in 1830 plans were laid to move the ducal residence into the city. Initially, a site on the Luisenplatz was considered, which was then still on the outskirts. However, the Duke felt it important to live amidst his subjects, so a central location on the Market Square was decided upon. In 1835, Wilhelm I engaged his Senior Architect Georg Moller to design the new City Palace. Several buildings were acquired on the north side of the square and in 1837 the foundation stone was laid. Duke Wilhelm would not live to its completion; He died of a stroke on 20 August 1839 while "taking the cure" at Bad Kissingen. His son Adolph I, Duke of Nassau became the Palace's first and only ducal resident in 1841. He lived there during the winter and in summers resided at Schloss Biebrich.

During the Revolutions of 1848 a national uprising began in many German States. On 4 March 1848 it spread to the Duchy, when a third of the male population of some 30,000 angry citizens gathered in front of the City Palace to demand confirmation of the Nine Claims of Nassau, an early Bill of Rights. With the crowd threatening to storm the Palace, Adolph rushed back to Wiesbaden from Berlin, where he had been consulting on the crisis. He rescued his monarchy at the last minute by walking, unguarded and in uniform, through the crowds from the railroad station to the City Palace. He announced his assent to their demands from the balcony and the menacing riot turned into a celebration. In April 1848, the Duke appointed the liberal politician August Hergenhahn as his Prime Minister and several advanced laws were enacted. While Adolph did not fulfill all his promises, and some were not adopted until 1861, by enacting important reforms he enjoyed a longer reign and the respect of the population.

In 1866, Adolph fatefully supported the Austrian side in the Second Austro-Prussian War, which lost. The Kingdom of Prussia annexed the Duchy as a war prize, sent the Duke into exile and took possession of the Wiesbaden City Palace. It was then used as a residence by Emperor Wilhelm I and the adjacent Kaiser-Wilhelm Sanatorium, built in 1871 as a military hospital, was named in his honor. Wilhem's grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm II, then made the palace a regular summer home. He resided there annually with his staff and members of the Hohenzollern family. Wiesbaden experienced tremendous growth and became an international resort, with the population increasing from 35,500 in 1871 to 100,000 by 1905.  Near the Palace numerous new important buildings were constructed, including a New Town Hall (1897), the Hessian State Theater (1894), the Kurhaus (1907) and the Central Railway Station (1906).

After Germany's defeat in World War I and the monarchy collapsed, the palace was used for a variety of purposes. It initially became home to the local Workers' and Soldiers' Council during the German Revolution of 1918-1919. Later it was used as the supreme headquarters of the French Occupation Armies during the Allied Occupation of the Rhineland. In 1925, the palace became the headquarters of British Army of the Rhine. After the withdrawal of occupying forces in 1930, the building came into the possession of the Prussian State Administration of Palaces (German: Preußischen Staatlichen Schlösserverwaltung) and was converted into a museum.

During World War II, the building complex became the Wehrmacht's General Headquarters for Wehrkreis (Military District) XII under the command of General der Infanterie Walther Schroth. This region included the Eifel, part of Hesse, the Palatinate, and the Saarland. After Germany's victory in the Battle of France in 1940, Wehrkreis XII was expanded to include the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Lorraine Region, including Nancy. In the immediate aftermath of World War II, the US Army used the partially ruined building as its headquarters.

In 1946, Wiesbaden became the capital of the newly created State of Hesse and the Palace became the seat of the Hessian Landtag. The Landtag met for the first time in the largest room of the House, the Music Hall, on 1 December 1946. In 1959 the former Royal Riding Hall in the courtyard was demolished and a new Plenary Chamber built in its place. The Palace's historic rooms were preserved and used for receptions. Ancillary buildings around the Palace were redeveloped for use by the Landtag administration. In 1975 the editorial staff of Hessian Radio (German: Hessischer Rundfunk) moved into the complex to better cover State politics and also opened a TV studio there.

In the late 1990s plans began to construct a new building to replace the outdated Plenary Chamber. The Bundestag wanted to build a transparent glass Hall on the Schlossplatz between the Palace and the Marktkirche in the architectural style of the Federal buildings in Bonn. That project was halted due to cost as well as protests from the population about the building's appropriateness. The Federal Design Office then advertised an architectural competition and Waechter + Waechter of Darmstadt won. Their proposal for a low-profile building inside the courtyard behind the Palace's facade was designed preserve the historic character of the Schloßplatz. This was approved and the old Plenary Chamber was demolished in 2004. The City Palace became a construction site for the next four years and on 4 April 2008 parliament moved into its new home.

The palace complex serves as a place of work for the 118 elected MPs of the Hessian State Parliament. The historic rooms of the ducal palace itself are used for official receptions of President of the Parliament (German: Landtagspräsident), as well as for other celebrations. The former Music Hall is also used for public events and concerts. In the adjacent buildings – Gentleman's House, Wilhelmsbau and the former Administrative Court – the MP's offices and State Parliament administration are housed. There are also meeting rooms for committees and facilities for press conferences. The Parliament restaurant is housed in the basement. The Hessian State Government chaired by the Minister-President also has rooms which can be used during the plenary sessions. Additionally there are facilities for accommodating visitors who participate in the public meetings of the Landtag. The plenary hall has a large foyer, a public gallery, and an information center on the history of the Parliament. Today the Wilhelmbau houses the Wiesbaden studios of Hessischer Rundfunk and a well-known room used for national press conferences.

Wiesbaden City Palace

Frauenstein Castle (German: Burg Frauenstein) is a ruined castle in the town of Wiesbaden-Frauenstein in Hesse, Germany.

It is not known who built Frauenstein Castle, but, based on dendrochronological evidence, its construction has been dated to around 1184. Built on a quartzite outcropping of the Spitzen Stein the castle was not intended as a defensive fortress, but rather as a watch-tower. It also served the tower guards as a dwelling. The construction of the castle with its high walls and battlements gave protection to farmers in the area and led to the emergence of the village of the same name. Later, the castle was extended by a fore-castle with pond, as could be confirmed by excavations in the year 1943.

While the German name Frauen-stein can be translated "women's stone", it actually derives from Vrowenstein, a name which first appears in the historical record in 1221. In that year, a deed names a Heinrich Bodo von Vrowenstein (in 1207/1209, he was mentioned as being from Idstein) as a lord of Frauenstein Castle. In the year 1231, a document of the Erbach monastery mentions a knight by the name of Siegfried von Frauenstein who was a marshal with the bishopric of Mainz. He was a descendant of an aristocratic Schierstein family (which would become extinct in 1380).

Around 1300, Siegfried IV von Frauenstein sold part of the castle, along with surrounding property and its serfs, to Gerhard, the Archbishop of Mainz. Gerhard wanted the castle in order to protect the eastern border of his possessions in the Rheingau against his rival, the Count of Nassau. In May 1301, forces of King Albert of Austria fought against Mainz. They captured all of the fortresses, including Frauenstein, and devastated the Rheingau. The castle was soon restored, however.

In 1310 Johann von Limburg also sold his shares of the castle to the Mainz bishopric so that it had gained full control over the castle by the year 1319. Mainz, however, once again sold parts of the castle so that, by 1390, it possessed only half of the castle. The noble co-owners often settled in Frauenstein and built beautiful half-timbered houses which still stand in the village to the present day.

Over the following centuries, the disputes between Mainz and Nassau continued. Nassau was able to prevent Mainz's possessions in the area from growing by encircling the castle with a chain of five fortified farms: Sommerberg, Rosenkoeppel, Nürnberg, Groroth, and Armada. All of these estates, with the exception of Rosenkoeppel, are still preserved today.

In the second half of the 18th century, the castle lost its significance as border security and was no longer maintained. In the Secularization of 1803, the town was brought under the control of the Count of Nassau and in 1808 the serfs were granted freedom of movement. In 1866, the town - like all of Nassau - came under the control of Prussia.

Frauenstein Castle (Wiesbaden)

Biebrich Palace (German: Schloss Biebrich) is a Baroque residence (Schloss) in the borough of Biebrich in the city of Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany. Built in 1702 by Prince Georg August Samuel of Nassau-Idstein, it served as the ducal residence for the independent Duchy of Nassau from 1816 until 1866.

Count Georg August Samuel of Nassau-Idstein, appointed Prince in 1688, wanted a more impressive seat of authority than his palace in Idstein in the Taunus. He moved first to Wiesbaden, and later to Biebrich (at that time a separate community from Wiesbaden). In the immediate vicinity of the Rhine, opposite the Biebricher Wörth, he began construction of a chateau. The structure was designed by the Baroque architect Julius Ludwig Rothweil and was completed in 1702. It survives today as the West Pavilion of the palace. Only four years later, a duplicate structure was built only 86 meters to the east. While the West Pavilion was reserved for the prince and his entourage, the East Pavilion served his wife.

Prince Georg August Samuel began further development of the castle in 1707. Baroque architect Johann Maximilian von Welsch linked the two pavilions with a gallery and built a circular ballroom in the exact center. The Rotunda was completed in 1721, giving Biebrich Castle its distinctive appearance.

After the death of Georg August Samuel, the House of Nassau-Idstein was extinguished and the castle came into the possession of the line of Nassau-Usingen. Prince Karl von Nassau-Usingen decided after his inauguration in 1734 to relocate his permanent residence to Biebrich. Such a residential and government office demanded further premises, so the Baroque architect Friedrich Joachim Michael Stengel designed today's eastern wing. Only three years later, Stengel built the identical western wing. The gardens were designed by landscape architect Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell in 1817 at the request of Duke Wilhelm of Nassau.

Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, sold the palace to the State of Prussia in 1935. Heavily damaged during World War II, it was renovated and partly reconstructed between 1980 and 1982 by the State of Hesse. It is now used by the state government for representation purposes and houses the state's historic preservation agency.

Biebrich Palace

Schadeck Castle (German: Burg Schadeck) is a counter-castle which was built in opposition to the nearby Runkel Castle. It stands above the River Lahn in the eponymous parish in the county of Limburg-Weilburg in the German state of Hesse.

History

Because of inheritance and ownership disputes, Schadeck was built by Henry of Westerburg from 1276 to 1288 as a counter-castle to Runkel Castle, which at that time was owned by a cousin. The name of the castle and its surrounding settlement came from its purpose eine Ecke zum Schaden der Burg Runkel ("a spot from which to damage Runkel Castle"). However, Runkel Castle was never conquered. On 21 July 1321, an agreement was signed that forced the then Lord Reynard of Westerburg to hand over Runkel Castle as a fief to the Archbishop of Trier, Baldwin of Luxembourg. This was preceded by violent conflicts between the two parties later. However, the agreement was not carried out, so Baldwin captured the castle in 1344. The seizure of the castle was related to attempts by Baldwin to protect and expand his estates east of the Rhine. The disputes over Schadeck must have continued because, in 1346, another agreement was signed that provided for a division of the castle. In the same year, however, Reynard of Westerburg sold his entire share to the Archbishop. Apparently the Westerburgs remained as vassals of Baldwin at the castle. During the Thirty Years' War, and again in 1803, parts of the castle, especially the north wing, were slighted.

From the early 19th century the ownership of the castle changed hands several times. It was also divided between several owners. From 1821, the west wing housed the mayor's office of the municipality of Schadeck and, in about 1850, the village school was located on the second floor.

In the 20th century, the structural condition of the castle deteriorated rapidly, so that parts of the castle threatened to collapse. In 1998 extensive renovation work began, in particular the complete replacement of the roof and the framework of the baroque staircase. This work was completed in 2006.

Description

The most important component of the present castle site is a well-preserved, ​3 1⁄2-storey, rectangular building, which has a staircase tower on the western side. This contains private residences, which means that it is not possible to view the interior of Schadeck Castle.

Of the remaining buildings only a few remains and foundation walls have survived.

In addition to being a listed building, the castle is also protected in the event of war under the Hague Convention.



Schadeck Castle

Scharfenstein Castle (German: Burg Scharfenstein), a ruined castle near the town of Kiedrich in Hesse, Germany, was part of the Bishopric of Mainz’s border fortifications. It was erected in 1160 under Christian I (Archbishop of Mainz).

Scharfenstein Castle (Kiedrich)

The Electoral Palace in Mainz (German: Kurfürstliches Schloss zu Mainz) is the former city Residenz of the Archbishop of Mainz, who was also Prince-Elector of his electoral state within the Holy Roman Empire. It is one of the important Renaissance buildings in Germany.

History

Originally, the Archbishop of Mainz resided at the cathedral, where there is an old private chapel dating from 1137, but in 1475, when the Chapter re-elected Diether von Isenburg, conditions were imposed: he had to surrender the town of Mainz to the Chapter, and erect a castle in the city. The construction of this Martinsburg began in 1478 and was completed two years later. For several decades, the archbishops lived either there or in the electoral palace at Aschaffenburg, Schloss Johannisburg. After receiving damage during the second war with the margraves in 1552 the castle was restored in a Renaissance style. Archbishop Daniel Brendel von Homburg built office buildings and St Gangolph's Church around the year 1580. (In order to make way for new avenues, these buildings as well as the Martinsburg were demolished by Napoleon during the French occupation of the town between 1798 and 1814.)

The building of a new palace commenced in 1627 on the behest of Archbishop Georg Friedrich von Greiffenklau. The Rhine wing of the new palace could not be finished until 1678, construction being delayed by the Thirty Years War and the War of the Grand Alliance. The original plan is not known, but it was probably a four-wing construction, comparable to the 1604 repairs to Schloss Johannisberg. It can be assumed that Martinsburg remained standing only because of the delays.

The north wing was begun in 1687, ready by 1752, and furnished in succeeding years. Work on the wing extending away from the river was begun during the reigns of Johann Friedrich Karl von Ostein (1743–1763) and Friedrich Karl Josef von Erthal (1774–1802). Erthal was the last Prince-Elector of the old electorate. His successor Karl Theodor von Dalberg was both Archbishop-Elector of Mainz and Arch-Chancellor of the remaining Empire on the right bank of the Rhine. Due to the resolutions of the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss his seat was moved to Regensburg, which became the new seat of the archbishopric.

Delays were due not only to the War of the Grand Alliance, but also to the extensive building activity of the nobility: for example, the Lustschloss Favorite begun in 1700 by Lothar Franz von Schönborn absorbed large amounts of resources. That summer residence was destroyed during the Siege of Mainz by coalition shelling in 1793.

On 23 October 1792, the Jacobin Club, a political group during the French Revolution, was established on what nowadays is German soil. This was the earliest democratic movement in Germany. The last Elector of Mainz was expelled in the same year, and the palace was neglected until 1827, when it was restored by the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt and the City of Mainz.

During World War II, the building was heavily damaged, especially in the air raid of 27 February 1945, which destroyed most of the city. Of the palace, only the exterior walls remained. It was rebuilt during 1948 and 1949, reopened on 31 December 1949, and was the main venue in Mainz for Karneval activities until the Rheingoldhalle opened in 1968.



Electoral Palace (Mainz)

Die Burg Crass, auch Schloss Rheinberg genannt, liegt am Rheinufer in Eltville am Rhein im Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis am Ortsausgang nach Walluf. Sie gilt als das älteste erhaltene Gebäude der Stadt.

Geschichte
Die Burg Crass, ein ehemaliger Freihof, lag außerhalb der 1332 errichteten Stadtmauer. Möglicherweise befand sich an dieser Stelle bereits eine ehemalige römische Villa. Dendrochronologische Untersuchungen haben ergeben, dass Teile des verwendeten Bauholzes schon 1096 geschlagen wurden.

Die Burg diente der Mainzer Familie Judens als Residenz und ging später in den Besitz des Ritters Philipp Münch von Lindau. 1496 gab der Besitzer die Burg seiner Tochter Anna in die Ehe mit dem Ritter Johann Frei von Dehrn mit und wurde zu einem Herrenhaus umgebaut.

Während des Dreißigjährigen Krieges wurde der Hof durch einen Brand zerstört. Nach wechselnden Besitzern, ließ Graf Carlomann von Grunne den verwilderten Besitz neugotisch gestalten und das 12 Morgen große Anwesen mit großer Parkanlage wurde Schloss Rheinberg genannt.

Später errichtete ein Konsortium Eltviller Bürger die Villa Rheinberg auf dem Gelände und 1873 übernahm die Familie Crass das Burghaus und es entstand die Gaststätte Burg Crass.

Im Jahr 1913 kaufte Jean Iffland jr. die Burg mit Gastwirtschaft. Zwei Weltkriege und ein großer Brand 1923 erforderten eine gründliche Instandsetzung: 1953 erst wurde der Betrieb der Gaststätte wieder aufgenommen.

1970 gelang die Burg als Vermächtnis in Besitz der Stadt Eltville. Nach mehreren Verpachtungen stand das Gebäude seit 1988 leer. 1996 übernahm die alteingesessene Sektkellerei Schloss Vaux die Burg und sanierte die Gebäude aufwendig unter Aufsicht des Landesamtes für Denkmalschutz.

Heutige Nutzung
Die Burg Crass dient heute mit Rheinterrasse in südlicher Atmosphäre als Hotel und Gaststätte der gehobenen Gastronomie. Die Rheinterrasse wird öffentlich unter dem Namen Crassgarten betrieben.

Burg Crass

The Castle of the Sovereigns Elect in Eltville/Rhine (Kurfürstliche Burg Eltville am Rhein) was erected from 1330 onwards by Balduin of Trier on the premises of a previous castle damaged during the tariff war directly on the bank of the Rhine River. The continuation and completion of the castle took place until approx. 1350 by Heinrich von Virneburg. During the 14th and 15th centuries the Castle was the residence of the Archbishops of Mainz and the Sovereigns Elect. In 1635 the Swedes destroyed the castle with the exception of the tower house, the present landmark of Eltville. Only the east wing was rebuilt in modified form in 1682/83. The Gutenberg Exhibition in the tower memorates the great inventor who received the only honour bestowed upon him during his lifetime here in 1465. More than 20,000 rose bushes transform the castle moat and the romantic Rhine promenade into a colourful sea of flowers in early summer.


https://www.rheingau.com/ruins-castles

Kurfürstliche Burg Eltville

Schloss Schaumburg, kurz auch die Schaumburg genannt, ist ein Schloss südlich von Balduinstein nahe Limburg an der Lahn. Ursprünglich war die Anlage eine Höhenburg. Ihr Hauptturm ist der Nullpunkt des Soldner-Koordinatensystems für das Herzogtum Nassau.

Möglicherweise war der Berg schon um 915 mit einer Burg bebaut, als das Gebiet in einer Schenkung an das Kloster Weilburg erwähnt wird. Der Name „Schowenburg“ oder „Schauenburg“ taucht erstmals im Jahr 1197 für die Burg auf, als das Zentrum einer gleichnamigen Herrschaft. Zu dieser gehörten neben der damaligen Burg die Orte Biebrich, Cramberg und Steinsberg.[1] Im 12. Jahrhundert war die Burganlage im Besitz der Grafen von Leiningen.

Mit dem Aussterben der Grafen im Mannesstamm um 1220 kam es zu einer Teilung und mehrfachem Besitzwechsel des Burglehens. Ein Teil der Burg befand sich im Besitz von Elise, der Tochter des Grafen Emicho III. von Leiningen und Gattin von Ruprecht dem Streitbaren von Nassau. Mit ihrem Tod ging dieser Anteil über ihre Tochter auf die Grafschaft Virneburg über. Ein weiterer Anteil an der Burg fiel an die Grafschaft Diez und von dieser an die Grafschaft Weilnau. Ein dritter Teil der Schaumburg fiel an das Haus Isenburg. Bei dessen Erbteilung 1232 gelangte der Anteil Schaumburg in den Besitz Gerlachs I. von Limburg. Das Haus Limburg musste jedoch bereits im Jahr 1266 in einem Schiedsspruch zugunsten Kurkölns auf den Teil der Burg verzichten. Der Kölner Erzbischof Siegfried von Westerburg übertrug den Kurkölner Anteil im Jahr 1276 an das Haus Westerburg.

Das Haus Westerburg baute ab 1279 die Schaumburg aus. Um die Stellung der Burg zu schwächen, erbaute Balduin von Luxemburg die Burg Balduinstein in der Nähe der Schaumburg. Es kam zu einem längeren Streit, in dessen Folge der Ort Balduinstein 1321 aus der Herrschaft Schaumburg getrennt und zur Stadt erhoben wurde.

Bis zum 15. Jahrhundert konnte das Haus Westerburg alle anderen Anteile der Burg erwerben. Ab 1557 residierte das Haus Leiningen-Westerburg-Schaumburg, eine Seitenlinie des Hauses Westerburg, auf der Schaumburg. 1656 verkaufte Georg Wilhelm von Leiningen Burg und Herrschaft an Agnes von Effern, die Witwe des Grafen Peter Melander von Holzappel, welche die Herrschaft Schaumburg mit der Grafschaft Holzappel vereinigte. Agnes starb noch im selben Jahr; die Schaumburg verblieb im Besitz ihrer weiblichen Nachkommen: Haus Nassau-Dillenburg (1656–1707), Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg (1707–1812), Habsburg-Lothringen (1812–1867).

Von 1847 bis 1867 besaß Erzherzog Stephan von Österreich die Schaumburg. Er musste 1848 im Zuge der Revolution seine Heimat Ungarn verlassen und baute von 1850 bis 1855 die Schaumburg aufwändig in neugotischem Stil zu dem heutigen Schloss um, nach Plänen des Architekten Carl Boos, dem auch die Bauleitung anvertraut wurde. Stephan von Österreich richtete eine Gemäldegalerie sowie eine Bibliothek ein, er sammelte daneben Münzen, hinterließ auch eine beachtliche Mineraliensammlung und unterhielt außerdem einen kleinen Tierpark. Die beiden in seinem Auftrag in Berlin angefertigten überlebensgroßen Figuren zieren als Herolde den Haupteingang zum Schloss. Der große Prachtsaal, mit dem ausladenden Fenster im Erker der von zwei Ecktürmen eingefassten Fassade nach Westen, wurde allerdings nie fertig. Weder Erzherzog Stephan noch spätere Besitzer bauten ihn wie geplant innen aus, und so ist er noch heute unverputzt im Rohbauzustand von 1855. Die Schaumburg wurde mit dem Bau der Lahntalbahn 1862 leicht erreichbar und zu einem Treffpunkt von Adligen aus ganz Europa.

Der kinderlose Erzherzog Stephan vererbte das Schloss an den jüngsten Sohn seines Cousins Peter, seinen Großcousin Herzog Georg Ludwig von Oldenburg. Das Haus Oldenburg verwaltete das Schloss von 1867 bis 1888. Doch auch das Haus Waldeck-Pyrmont erhob Anspruch auf die Anlage. Nach einem über zwanzig Jahre dauernden Gerichtsprozess wurde sie 1888 Georg Viktor zu Waldeck-Pyrmont zugesprochen.

An seinen letzten adeligen Besitzer kam das Schloss 1967 mit dem Tod von Josias zu Waldeck und Pyrmont. Dessen Sohn und Erbe Wittekind zu Waldeck und Pyrmont verkaufte es aber im Jahr 1983 mitsamt dem Inventar und Ländereien für 15 Millionen DM. Die Schaumburg sollte zu einem Hotel mit angeschlossenem Golfplatz umgebaut werden. Diese Planung zerschlug sich jedoch, und der Verfall der Substanz schritt weiterhin fort. Nach einem weiteren Verkauf 1990 an einen Geschäftsmann aus Süddeutschland für sechs Millionen Deutsche Mark stand die Schlossanlage 2011 für 1,3 Millionen Euro erneut zum Verkauf.[2] Zu diesem Zeitpunkt war ein Großteil der Ländereien bereits veräußert worden. Ende 2012 wurde die Schaumburg an eine türkische Investorengruppe verkauft, die dort nach eigenen Angaben eine Bildungsstätte einzurichten vorhatte.[3] Entsprechende Baumaßnahmen erfolgten nicht. Nachdem einer der Investoren zwischenzeitlich aus dem Projekt ausstieg, kündigte der neue und nunmehr alleinige Geschäftsführer der türkischen Investorengruppe 2015 an, das Schloss Schaumburg zu einem internationalen Weininstitut machen zu wollen.[4] Die Investorengruppe erwarb mehrere denkmalgeschützte Immobilien in Deutschland.[4]

Das durch die Jahrhunderte geführte komplette Schaumburg-Archiv wurde vom Land Rheinland-Pfalz erworben und befindet sich seitdem im Landeshauptarchiv Koblenz.