Set in a serene landscape in the south-western Steigerwald in Middle Franconia, Bavaria, Frankenberg Castle crowns the Herrschaftsberg. With its medieval towers, flanked by steep vineyards, the castle rises above a gently rolling hilly landscape. In addition to a 30-hectare wine-growing area, which makes Frankenberg one of the largest wineries in the region, the 130-hectare castle grounds include forests, arable land, orchards, and the Meierei, a historical dairy farm at the foot of the hill. With a history going back to at least 1254 and the rule of the renowned knight dynasty of von Hutten for more than 250 years, the monument is a substantial testimony to Franconian chivalric life.
The Frankenberg estate stood at the centre of 16th and 17th century religious conflicts. The religious border separating Protestant from Catholic lands still today runs through the estate. With Ulrich von Hutten as the noble family’s most notable member, Frankenberg makes the spirit of the Reformation, Renaissance humanist ideals and German culture tangible. Ulrich was a poet, scholar, and publisher, and the first imperial knight, but later made a name for himself as an avid reformer, and friend and ally to Martin Luther. From then on, he zealously opposed both the Pope and the Emperor and thus contributed significantly to the religious denominational schism.
References:The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.