Freudenberg Castle, Freudenberg (Baden), Germany

In 1196-1197, Bishop Heinrich III of Berg from Würzburg began the construction of Freudenburg Castle. Under Bishop Heinrich's successor, Konrad I of Querfurt, there was another phase of construction, although of lesser extent. The Lords of Dürn, who can be traced as the earliest feudal lords of Freudenburg, were succeeded through marriage by the Counts of Wertheim.

In the year 1361, Eberhard von Wertheim and others continued construction on elements like the curtain wall and the great hall (Palas). Further expansion and fortification of the castle into a formidable fortress with an imposing Renaissance structure occurred between 1497 and 1507 under Count Erasmus von Wertheim. Massive earthworks led to the construction of an outer bailey. An impressive four-story cannon tower facing the Main River and an outpost for securing the southern mountain side were built. In front of the curtain wall, another protective wall with three small round towers was added. The wall extended to the west and east down the hillside to the Main River, enclosing the small town of Freudenberg. This expansion, likely inspired by Burg Breuberg, was Erasmus (also known as Asmus) von Wertheim's final work. He passed away in 1509.

The castle subsequently served as a residence for castle officials and an administrative center. It was heavily damaged during the Markgräfler War in 1552, and with the extinction of the Wertheim line in 1556, the castle began to deteriorate further. Administration was relocated to the town, and only the cannon tower (especially during the witch trials after 1590) continued to be used as a prison.

As the Middle Ages came to an end, the castle fell into disrepair, becoming overgrown with vegetation. It was forgotten for centuries. Only after World War II did a citizen initiative advocate for the castle's restoration. It was gradually uncovered and renovated, reopening to the public in 1995. As of 2012, the curtain walls leading to the town and the cannon tower are being restored.

The courtyard of the castle ruins now serves as an open-air theater every two years in odd-numbered years.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Stephen Gos (2 years ago)
Best site on the Main river! Lovely middle age feeling. It is also a famous theatre that is used in summer for famous plays and musicals.

John Davis (3 years ago)
We had a nice tour of the castle by some local guides. It was a nice short hike up the 200-300 stairs to the castle.

Charly Vancouver (4 years ago)
One of the best keeps of southern Germany. Strolling around that big old castle was so much fun for the kids. There's a table close to the entrance of the castle where you can enjoy your lunch break after having climbed all 400 steps towards that castle (the steps start at the "Rathaus" or townhall at the bottom). My kid loved to look into each and every corner of this castle. In the ground there might have been a cool warehouse for old wine. You can look into it. All around you have this beautiful view to the Main river. Behind the castle follows another "panorama" path through into the Odenwald. Not close to this place the sandstone mines are visible.

Michael Bechtold (7 years ago)
One of the castels controlling and securing the traffic on the river Main in historical times. Now a quite well preserved ruin with a great view across the valley.

Andrew Clark (7 years ago)
It's a ruined castle with a well maintained footpath up to it. A lot of steps up to it 350 or more. Good view on a good day. That do drama stuff up there sometimes.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.

Freudenberg Castle

Address

Details

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus