The Braunfels Castle (Schloss Braunfels) soars 100 m (328 ft) above the Lahn valley.

The town of Braunfels is, of course, renowned for its spectacular, romantic castle, but also as a destination for spa tourism.

Braunfels Castle was the royal residence of the Counts of Solms. Their descendants, in fact, still own the castle to this day.

The first traces of Braunfels Castle go all the way back to the year 1246.

The palace’s appearance has changed much over the years, with new additions to the complex as well as the destruction of other parts. In 1679, much of Braunfels was incinerated in a terrible fire. Count Heinrich Trajektin was responsible for the reconstruction.

In 1845, Braunfels Castle underwent a renovation at the hands of the “Hunter Prince” Ferdinand who rebuilt parts of it in the Gothic Revival style and added its famous Knights Hall.

The castle got yet another makeover just 35 years later by Prince George. He is the man to thank for the castle’s present look. Much of its unique features, like the towers and bay windows, can be attributed to him.

This wild park and zoo was created in 1704 by Wilhelm Moritz Graf zu Solms-Braunfels. The Forsthaus Tiergarten showcases wild boar, mouflon and fallow deer.

If this wasn’t enough of a draw for nature lovers, others may be attracted by the fact that a day pass to this kingly park and zoo is absolutely free.

The Counts and Princes of Solms-Braunfels have their private collections on display at the Family museum (Familienmuseum). You can view the hunting rifles of Ferdinand, the letters of Emperor Charles VII and uniform of Count Heinrich Trajektin, which was worn during his final battle.

Ladies need not worry that this is a men-only museum. You can also view the exquisite dresses of the queens and princesses, as well as some of their priceless jewelry.

Castle Braunfels

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Greifenstein Castle (German: Burg Greifenstein) lies in the eponymous village of Greifenstein in the county of Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Middle Hesse, Germany. It is a geo point in the national geopark of Westerwald-Lahn-Taunus.

History
The hill castle was first recorded in 1160. In 1298 it was destroyed by the counts of Nassau and Solms, as was Lichtenstein, which was not rebuilt. In 1315 it was enfeoffed by the House of Habsburg (Albert I had purchased the castle from Kraft of Greifenstein) to the Counts of Nassau.[1][2] After having several owners, it had become dilapidated by 1676 and was then converted into a Baroque schloss by William Maurice of Solms-Greifenstein. After the counts moved to Braunfels in 1693 the site fell into ruins.

In 1969 the castle ruins were gifted to the Greifenstein Society, who have since looked after the preservation of the site, which is open to the public and incorporates a restaurant. The castle is a heritage site in the meaning of the Hessian Monument Conservation Act. Since 1995, its restoration has also been supported by the Federal Republic of Germany because it has been classified as a Monument of National Significances (Denkmal von nationaler Bedeutung).

Description
The circular walk across the castle terrain leads to a gaol with torture implements, weapons and a wine cellar, living rooms and a twin-towered bergfried accessible on a spiral staircase. On the pointed roof of the Brother Tower (Bruderturm) there is a gryphon (German: Greif, a reference to the name of the castle) as a weather vane. In the tower itself is a peal of three bells with strike tones of F#1, A1 and C2.

Attractions include the Village and Castle Museum (Dorf- und Burgmuseum), one of the few double chapels in Germany. The Chapel of St. Catherine was built in 1462 as a fortified church in the Gothic style. When the castle was converted into the Baroque style the castle courtyard was filled with earth with the result that, today, the chapel is below ground level. It contains frescoes and arrow slits as well as casemates with vaulted ceilings and fighting rooms. The Baroque church built above the fortified chapel from 1687 to 1702 is richly decorated with stuccos and is of the Italian Early Baroque period. Upper and lower churches are linked by a staircase.

Walks around the castle and an educational herb garden make the site a popular destination.

Burg Greifenstein

Die Burg Merenburg ist die Ruine einer mittelalterlichen Höhenburg auf dem 337 m ü. NHN hohen Schloßberg, einem Basaltkegel über der Gemeinde Merenberg im hessischen Landkreis Limburg-Weilburg.

Geschichte

Die Burg Merenberg wird erstmals 1129 urkundlich erwähnt und befindet sich ab 1163 in der Herrschaft von Gleiberg und mit einigen Cent- sowie gräflichen Rechten bei den Merenbergern.

1333 kam die Burg durch Heirat zur Linie derer von Nassau-Weilburg, wurde Sommersitz, ab dem 13./14. Jahrhundert von niederadligen Burgmannen besetzt und im 16./17. Jahrhundert mit einem Amtmann. 1646 während des Dreißigjährigen Krieges wurde die Burg zerstört.



Burg Merenberg

Die Burg Mengerskirchen, das heutige Schloss Mengerskirchen, befindet sich an der ehemaligen Stadtmauer in Mengerskirchen im Landkreis Limburg-Weilburg.

Geschichte

Vermutlich unter der Dillenburger Linie des Hauses Nassau wurde die Burg ab 1312 in dem 1217 erstmals erwähnten Ort Mengerskirchen erbaut. Der Wohnturm lässt sich auf 1320 datieren. Der vorgelagerte Ort erhielt 1321 Stadtrechte. 1341 kam die Burg in den Besitz des Grafen Heinrich II. von Nassau-Beilstein. In diesem Zusammenhang wurde sie auch erstmals urkundlich erwähnt. Unter den Beilsteinern wurde das Bauwerk vor allem als Witwensitz genutzt und zeitweise auch verpfändet, unter anderem an Kurtrier. Als die Beilsteiner Linie 1561 wieder in der Dillenburger Linie aufging, kam auch das Schloss Mengerskirchen wieder in nassau-dillenburgischen Besitz und aus diesem in die neu gegründete Grafschaft Nassau-Hadamar.

1628 bis 1635 ließ Graf Johann Ludwig von Nassau-Hadamar die Burg nach Norden zu einem Jagdschloss mit Stuben für Verwaltungsbeamte umbauen. Um 1662 wurde unter Moritz Heinrich von Nassau-Hadamar ein weiterer, flacher Nordflügel angebaut. 1711 bis 1806 war sie Sitz des nassau-dillenburgischen, später nassau-oranischen Amtes Mengerskirchen. Von 1716 bis 1814 befand sich der Betsaal der reformierten Gemeinde im Schloss, von 1811 bis 1813 eine Kaserne der napoleonischen Gendarmerie. 1818 kaufte die Gemeinde Mengerskirchen das Schloss für 1220 Gulden. Von 1819 bis 1973 diente es als Schulgebäude. Teile des Wohnturms stürzten im 19. Jahrhundert ein und wurden wieder instand gesetzt. 1981 bis 1983 wurden zunächst die Schlossgebäude außer dem Wohnturm und 1984 bis 1990 auch der Wohnturm saniert. Bei diesen Arbeiten traten im Wohnturm Reste spätgotischer Fresken zutage.

Heutige Nutzung
Das Schloss ist seit 1983 Sitz der Gemeindeverwaltung und Bürgerhaus. Weiterhin ist im Turm seit 1990 ein Heimatmuseum eingerichtet.

Burg Mengerskirchen

Das Junkernschloss (auch Untere Burg in Unterscheidung zur Oberburg genannt) ist die Burgruine einer ehemaligen Wasserburg in der Gemeinde Driedorf im Lahn-Dill-Kreis im hessischen Westerwald.

Geschichte

Vor 1280 befand sich hier im Rehbach-Mühlbach-Tal ein Sitz der Herren von Greifenstein. In einer Auseinandersetzung fiel dieser an Otto I. (Nassau), der zwischen 1280 und 1290 auf den Resten der alten Burganlage die quadratische Wasserburg mit Burghof und Palas erbauen ließ.

Ursprünglich hatte die Burg nur strategische Bedeutung. Ab 1303 diente sie jedoch Graf Emich I. von Nassau-Hadamar als Residenz. Dieser erwirkte für die der Burg vorgelagerten Siedlung 1305 Stadtrechte. Durch Verkauf gelangte die Burg an Otto II. von Nassau-Dillenburg, der sie 1347 den Junkern Johann und Wiegand von Mudersbach zu Lehen gab. Seitdem wird die Burg als Junkernschloss bezeichnet.

Die Burg gelangte 1348 an die Landgrafschaft Hessen, die sie 1398 als Lehen an die Grafschaft Katzenelnbogen gab. 1408 sollen Burg und Ort im vollständigen Besitz der Katzenelnbogener sein. 1437 wurde Daniel II. von Mudersbach hessischer Burgmann und erhielt Wasserburg, den Graben und das Land zum Ort hin als Lehen. Die Familie von Mudersbach stellte danach auch die Burgmänner unter den wechselnden Landesherren. 1557 kamen Burg und Siedlung nach langen Erbrechtsauseinandersetzungen wieder an Wilhelm von Nassau-Dillenburg. Mit dem Tod von Daniel III. von Mudersbach 1600 starb die Familie im Mannesstamm aus. Daniels einzige Tochter nutzte mit ihrem Mann Hardmut von Cronberg die Burg als Wohnung, nachdem sie von Wilhelms Sohn Johann VI. Graf von Nassau-Dillenburg, genannt der Ältere, mit der Burg belehnt wurden. Spätestens 1606 mit seinem Tod endete die Lehenshoheit von Nassau-Dillenburg. 1610 wurde die Burg an das Haus Nassau-Beilstein verkauft.

Danach hatte die Burg keine Bedeutung mehr und verfiel zu einer Ruine. 1780 wurde der Hauptturm abgerissen und damit der Wassergraben verfüllt.



Junkernschloss

Herborn Castle is situated right above the city of Herborn, in the Lahn-Dill district of the state of Hesse, Germany.

History
The Herborn castle was built as a Motte-and-bailey castle, part of the fortification of the city of Herborn and connected to the city wall surrounding the city. The castle was the center of the Herborn March, which was a fiefdom the Counts of Nassau received from the Landgrave of Hesse.

The first documentation of the castle dates back to the 13th century. In 1251 the castle was renovated and at the beginning of the 14th century it was transformed into a manor house.

John VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg founded his Calvinist university the Herborn Academy and placed it in the castle in 1584 . Some time after 1588,  the school was moved to the old mayor house. In later years, years, the castle was rarely used by its owner.

From 1806 the castle was not in use and fell into ruin. It was eventually restored by Ludwig Hoffmann. Today it hosts the Theological Seminary of the Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau.

Inside the castle there is a significant library of 68,000 works, at least 10,000 of which were printed before 1900. The library includes a collection of historical books as well printed materials from Herborn printers such as Corvin.

Schloss Herborn

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

Waldmannshausen Castle (German: Burg Waldmannshausen) is a water castle built from 1486 to 1488 by Thebus of Waldmannshausen in the village of Elbgrund in the municipality of Elbtal) in the county of Limburg-Weilburg in the German state of Hesse. It is located about 18 kilometres north of the town of Limburg an der Lahn. The castle was once a single unit with the neighbouring estate of Waldmannshausen. On the land of the estate is another, ruined, water castle, the Alte Burg ("Old Castle"). The property is on the edge of the municipality on the road to Frickhofen. The castle and its associated schloss, built in 1790, have been used as a Schullandheim - a country educational facility used to enhance normal schools - since 1935. The castle is owned by Schullandheim Burg Waldmannshausen;; with its headquarters in Westphalian Hagen.

History

The von Waldmannshausen family is first recorded in 1136. From the Walpodes of Waltmannshausen branched early on the other Walpode/Waldbotten lines, including Waldbott of Bassenheim.

The builder of the present castle was Thebus (also: Debus = Matthäus) of Waldmannshausen, who died in 1506. He was the son of Gerard of Waldmannshausen and, during the 1480s, was a vassal of the counts of Nassau-Dillenburg.

In the 17th century the castle had become a ruin. In 1786 it was repaired by Christian Heinrich of Erath and, in 1790, expanded with a schloss next to the castle. After 1835, it changed hands more often and, in 1935, was acquired by the Schullandheim society of the Westphalian city of Hagen.

Today, castle and schloss are listed buildings and also have protected status in the event of war under the Hague Convention.



Waldmannshausen Castle

Kransberg Castle is situated on a steep rock near Kransberg (incorporated into Usingen in 1971), a village with about 800 inhabitants in the Taunus mountains in the German state of Hesse. The medieval building, which acquired its current appearance in the late 19th century, served military and intelligence purposes in World War II and during the Cold War. It was returned to its original representation purposes during the second half of the 20th century, and briefly became a business park for small information technology and internet companies in the early post-millennium years.

The original Kransberg castle was constructed around 1170, presumably based on a fortification that dates back to the 11th century. The first documented owner (in 1250) was Erwinus de Cranichesberc (Middle High German for Kranichsberg = crane mountain). In 1310 the castle was sold to Duke Philipp IV. von Falkenstein. It was inherited by the nobility of Eppstein in 1433, and briefly fell to the Königstein line in 1522 when Gottfried X. von Eppstein died. It passed on to the County of Stolberg in 1535, to the Archbishopric of Mainz in 1581, and was sold to the Waldbott von Bassenheim family in 1654.

The castle fell into disrepair from the late 18th century onward until it was sold to the Duchy of Nassau in 1853. It fell to the state of Prussia in 1866 which in 1874 sold it to Arnold von Biegeleben, a Baron from Darmstadt who recreated and extended it in the neogothic style. Only parts of the outward fortifications and the central tower remained essentially unchanged.

Emma von Scheitlein, of Austrian nobility, acquired the castle in 1926 and used it for society events until the Nazi government appropriated it in 1939 and put it to military use.

From 1939-1941 Albert Speer adapted it for use as Adolf Hitler's main military command headquarters, under the title Adlerhorst. A compound of air-raid standard concrete bunkers were disguised as seven cottages, under which was an extensive bunker complex which linked them to the castle. But on completion the complex was dismissed by Hitler on a visit in February 1940, and Speer subsequently adapted it to serve as the Luftwaffe headquarters during Operation Sea Lion, the invasion of Great Britain. (Some characteristic elements of Speer's architectural style are still apparent in 2010.)

When plans for the invasion of Britain were abandoned in favor of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, Kransberg was put to use as a rehabilitation center for soldiers of all ranks, and as the personal retreat for Hermann Göring.

From October 1944, the castle and Adlerhorst had become the headquarters of the Commander in Chief of OB West, Gerd von Rundstedt. After the failed 20 July plot attempt on Hitler's life, and the abandonment of the Wolfsschanze due to the advances of the Red Army, Hitler needed a new military base of operations for the forthcoming Ardennes Offensive. Hitler arrived at Giessen on the Führersonderzug (train) on 11 December 1944, taking up residence at the castle until 16 January 1945. Von Rundstedt who was to command Operation Wacht am Rhein set up his headquarters near Limburg, close enough for the generals and Panzer Corps commanders who were to lead the attack to visit the castle that evening. Von Rundstedt ran through the plans, that at 05:00 on December 15, envisaged the attack of three German armies consisting of over 250,000 men.

Shortly after Christmas, Göring arrived and took up residence in the castle. After an extremely downbeat briefing, Göring privately suggested to Hitler that a truce be sought via his Swedish contacts. Hitler flew into a rage, and after threatening to have Göring put before a firing squad, mentally dismissed him as deputy Fuehrer.

After giving his 1945 New Year's speech from the Adlerhorst, at 04:00 Hitler walked to the commaned centre to watch the development of Operation Nordwind, his counter-offensive on New Year's Day.

At midnight, nine Panzer divisions of Heeresgruppe G commanded by Generaloberst Johannes Blaskowitz had mounted an all-out attack on Bastogne. Then a faked diversionary attack was mounted by eight German divisions of Army Group Upper Rhine (Heeresgruppe Oberrhein) commanded by Heinrich Himmler, against the thinly stretched 110 kilometres (68 mi) line of the U.S. 7th Army and French 1st Army positions near Lembach in the Upper Vosges mountains in Alsace, 120 miles (190 km) to the southeast, to destroy them. However, as the Allies had cracked the Enigma code machines, each German manoeuvre was either prepared for or out-flanked by an allied counter-move. This resulted in a bitter attritional campaign that was lost from the 25th January onwards, by the German's running out of replacement manpower, machinery and supplies.

On 6 January 1945, a blockbuster bomb was jettisoned on Ziegenberg by a returning Allied bomber, damaging the church and several houses, killing four residents. With the Ardennes Offensive failed, and no new military plans or the resources by which to carry them out, the German military high command accepted that the western front was lost. Hitler left on his train for East Prussia on January 16, 1945 to bolster the defenders, with the Russians having already reached Danzig.

Having been made commander of OB West on March 11, on March 17 Kesselring ordered all classified documents and sensitive equipment removed from the castle. On March 19 the castle and surrounding area was subject to a 45-minute fire bombing air raid by a squadron of P-51 Mustangs. This resulted in the loss of 10 civilian lives, and the castle plus many of the surrounding buildings being damaged, destroyed or set on fire.

On March 28, with the American Army only 12 miles (19 km) away, Kesselring and his troops abandoned the castle complex. A U.S. Army unit took Kransberg Castle on March 30.

Soon thereafter a British-American detention center, commonly referred to as Operation Dustbin, for high-ranking German non-military prisoners of war, was established in parts of the complex. Focused on key industrialists, scientists and economists, among those interrogated here were Hjalmar Schacht, Wernher von Braun, Ferdinand Porsche, and the leaders of the IG Farben chemical conglomerate. The highest-ranking of these persons of interest was Albert Speer, the minister for armaments and wartime production who was detained in one of the buildings which he had redesigned as Hitler's chief architect a few years earlier. During his detention between June and August 1945 he provided very open and detailed accounts of the inner workings of the Third Reich and the impact of Allied bombing of Germany. "Dustbin" remained in operation throughout 1946.

In 1956 the Organisation Gehlen, the U.S.-German intelligence unit that later became the nucleus of the Bundesnachrichtendienst, moved in. It was later followed by the 5th U.S. Army Corps which operated an NCO academy, and by U.S. intelligence units which directed large parts of its espionage network in communist East Germany from here.

In the wake of the German reunification, the U.S. Army left Kransberg Castle in 1990 and returned it to the German government which sold it to Ulrike Brandis, a granddaughter of the disenfranchised Emma von Scheitlein, in 1993. Once again the complex became a center of culture and societal events. The costs of operating and maintaining the castle forced Brandis to sell her real estate to Klaus Landefeld, an information technology entrepreneur, in 2000. He converted parts of the complex into a business park for IT companies, and initiated the architectural reconversion of those parts that had been disfigured during the period of military use. When Landefeld's business suffered an economic downturn after the dot-com bubble had burst, these efforts were stalled. In 2007 he was forced to cede ownership to a real estate management company, which terminated the remaining business park operation at the end of 2008.

According to the company, which is seeking a buyer, some facilities at Kransberg castle will be reopened in 2010.