Wildenburg Castle (Hunsrück)

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Wildenburg Castle
Burg Wildenburg
Kempfeld

Wildenburg.jpg

The viewing tower on the castle ruins
Germany adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Wildenburg Castle
Burg Wildenburg
Coordinates 49°46′33″N7°15′23″E / 49.775944°N 7.256278°E / 49.775944; 7.256278 Coordinates: 49°46′33″N7°15′23″E / 49.775944°N 7.256278°E / 49.775944; 7.256278
Type motte-and-bailey castle
Code DE-RP
Height630 m above  sea level (NN)
Site information
Condition ruin
Garrison information
Occupants counts

Wildenburg Castle (German : Burg Wildenburg) is a ruined castle near Kempfeld in the county of Birkenfeld in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

German language West Germanic language

German is a West Germanic language that is mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol (Italy), the German-speaking Community of Belgium, and Liechtenstein. It is also one of the three official languages of Luxembourg and a co-official language in the Opole Voivodeship in Poland. The languages which are most similar to German are the other members of the West Germanic language branch: Afrikaans, Dutch, English, the Frisian languages, Low German/Low Saxon, Luxembourgish, and Yiddish. There are also strong similarities in vocabulary with Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, although those belong to the North Germanic group. German is the second most widely spoken Germanic language, after English.

Castle Fortified residential structure of medieval Europe

A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages by predominantly the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble. This is distinct from a palace, which is not fortified; from a fortress, which was not always a residence for royalty or nobility; and from a fortified settlement, which was a public defence – though there are many similarities among these types of construction. Usage of the term has varied over time and has been applied to structures as diverse as hill forts and country houses. Over the approximately 900 years that castles were built, they took on a great many forms with many different features, although some, such as curtain walls and arrowslits, were commonplace.

Kempfeld Place in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Kempfeld is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Herrstein, whose seat is in the like-named municipality.

Contents

Location

The ruins lie in the Hunsrück mountains between the Idar Forest to the north and the town of Idar-Oberstein to the south at a height of about 630 metres above sea level (NN) on the Wildenburger Kopf above the valley of the Idarbach. It was the highest castle in the Hunsrück.

Hunsrück low mountain range in Germany

The Hunsrück is a low mountain range in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the river valleys of the Moselle (north), the Nahe (south), and the Rhine (east). The Hunsrück is continued by the Taunus mountains on the eastern side of the Rhine. In the north behind the Moselle it is continued by the Eifel. To the south of the Nahe is the Palatinate region.

Idar Forest mountains in Germany

The Idar Forest is part of the Hunsrück low mountain range in the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Idar-Oberstein Place in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Idar-Oberstein is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. As a Große kreisangehörige Stadt, it assumes some of the responsibilities that for smaller municipalities in the district are assumed by the district administration. Today's town of Idar-Oberstein is the product of two rounds of administrative reform, one in 1933 and the other in 1969, which saw many municipalities amalgamated into one. The various Stadtteile have, however, retained their original identities, which, aside from the somewhat more urban character encountered in Idar and Oberstein, tend to hearken back to each centre's history as a rural village. Idar-Oberstein is known as a gemstone town, and also as a garrison town. It is also the largest town in the Hunsrück and has a population of 32,001.

History

The predecessor of the Wildenburg was probably a Celtic refuge fort with double ramparts from the La Tène period (ca. 450-50 B.C.). The Wildenburg rampart is one of a number of Celtic fortifications in southern Hunsrück between the hillfort of Otzenhausen, the Ringkopf, the Altburg and the Alteburg in Soonwaldsteig. A short section of the rampart has been reconstructed as a "Gallic Wall" ( murus gallicus ).

The Celtic hill fort of Otzenhausen is one of the biggest fortifications the Celts ever constructed. It was built by Gauls of the Treveri tribe, who lived in the region north of the fort. The fort is located on top of the Dollberg, a hill near Otzenhausen in Germany, about 695 m above sea level. The only visible remains are two circular earth ramparts, covered with stones.

Around the year 350 A. D. a late Roman fort was established on the Wildenburg for a short time.

In the Late Middle Ages Wildenburg was built by the Wildgrafen family on the rocks at the western tip of the circular rampart. It was first mentioned in 1330 and was pillaged and destroyed by marauding troops from Lorraine in 1651. After being partially rebuilt in 1660, the lower ward of the castle acted as the administrative headquarters for the Amt of Wildenburg until the abolition of the county in the 1792.

Late Middle Ages Period of European history between 1250 and 1500 CE

The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from 1250 to 1500 AD. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period.

Circular rampart An embankment built in the shape of a circle

A circular rampart is an embankment built in the shape of a circle that was used as part of the defences for a military fortification, hill fort or refuge, or was built for religious purposes or as a place of gathering.

Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to a US township or county or English shire district.

Description

Of the upper bailey (Oberburg) that was built on rocks only a few wall remains have survived. However, in 1980, a 22-metre-high observation tower was built on the top of the rocks that was opened in 1981. [1]

Observation tower structure used to view events from a long distance

An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct the long distance observations. They are usually at least 20 metres (66 ft) tall and made from stone, iron, and wood. Many modern towers are also used as TV towers, restaurants, or churches. The towers first appeared in Germany at the end of the 18th century, and their numbers steadily increased, especially after the invention of the lift.

In 1859 the buildings of lower bailey (Unterburg), including the gate tower, domestic buildings and enceinte, were restored for the Prussian Forestry Commission. These buildings were further converted into the present-day castle cafe and headquarters of the Hunsrück Club.

A gate tower is a tower built over or next to a major gateway.

Enceinte main defensive enclosure of a fortification

Enceinte is a French term denoting the "main defensive enclosure of a fortification". For a castle this is the main defensive line of wall towers and curtain walls enclosing the position. For a settlement it would be the main town wall with its associated gatehouses and towers and walls.

The Hunsrück Club is a regional local history, cultural and rambling club in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is a member of the Association of German Mountain and Rambling Clubs which has 55 members in German.

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Erbeskopf mountain

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Soonwald mountains in Germany

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Idarkopf Tower

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Wildenburger Kopf mountain in Germany

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Rauschenburg castle ruin

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Wildenberg Castle (Kirchzell) castle in Kirchzell

Wildenberg Castle, also called the Wildenburg, is a ruined, Hohenstaufen period castle in the Odenwald hills in Germany. It is located in the parish of Preunschen in the municipality of Kirchzell, in the Lower Franconian district of Miltenberg in Bavaria.

Virneburg Castle

Virneburg Castle is a ruined hill castle on a slate hill, 430 m above sea level (NHN), around which the Nitzbach stream flows. It stands above the village of Virneburg in the county of Mayen-Koblenz in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

References

  1. ↑ Die Wildenburg in: Aussichtstürme auf dem Hunsrück, hunsrueck-zeitung.com

Literature

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