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Founded: 1215-1240Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)
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The ruins of Lützelhardt Castle atop Seelbach’s local mountain of the same name, is the oldest historic monument in Seelbach.
Three castle buildings interlinked to each other, occupy the site and display a blend of Romanesque and early Gothic architecture. Particularly impressive are the remains of the main building with its Romanesque windows.
The castle complex was probably built by knights of the House of Zähringen who bore the name von Lützelhardt. It was erected between 1215 and 1240.
The exposed location of the castle served to guard the pass over the Schönberg. Only after a short period of use, the castle was destroyed by fire at the middle of the 13th century by the rivalling House of Geroldseck. Since 1990, the local Seelbach branch of the Schwarzwaldverein (Black Forest Association) has been responsible for the castle’s upkeep.
Legend has it that the destruction of the castle came about after the head of the House of Lützelhardt captured and shackled Baron Walter von Geroldseck and drove him through the forest for days on end. Von Geroldseck assumed that he was far from home when he was finally locked in a dungeon. Some two years later, the baron heard the faint sound of his castle’s horn and concluded that he wasn’t far from home after all, so he bribed the watchman, named Rublin, to help him escape. Following months’ of recovery, the baron sought vengeance and ordered the destruction of Lützelhardt Castle. And so it came to be that the castle was seized and burnt to the ground by the Geroldsecks in 1235.
The castle ruins can be visited year-round free of charge.
References:The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.
Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.