Rieneck Castle

Rieneck, Germany

Rieneck Castle is a hill castle located in the town of Rieneck, Bavaria. In 1150 Ludwig I, Count of Loon and Rieneck, ordered the building of the castrum Rinecke on the northeastern boundary of his territory, with the aim of safeguarding the lands of this aristocratic family against the neighbouring lordships of Mainz, Würzburg and Fulda. The little hill in the Sinn valley offered excellent conditions: there was only one direction where the castle required additional protection by a defensive ditch, and offered as narrow a front as possible to attack. The latter can be clearly seen in the ground plan of the keep, the 19-metre high 'Thick Tower', which is outwardly an irregular, seven-sided polygon, whose tip points towards the nearby hill.

The castle complex initially consisted simply of a courtyard surrounded by defensive walls, and the keep, with its 4 to 8-metre thick walls. Inside the walls half-timbered buildings were constructed as living quarters, store rooms, and stables. Of these only what we now know as the 'arched cellar' survives.

The castle today serves as a scouting facility and is owned by the German Christian Guide and Scout Association VCP.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: c. 1150
Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Monica E (5 months ago)
We only visited the castle grounds, so this isn't a review of the accommodation/food. Beautiful castle, but at the time we visited it seemed almost abandoned, not much to do/visit. Beautiful view of the village.
Desi (7 months ago)
Favourite vacation spot
Arek Michalski (7 months ago)
Super ??
jelkev (16 months ago)
Great place to sleep and explore the area. Great view point. We went there with our scouting group this year.
David Pinnington (17 months ago)
A fantastic venue owned by a German Scout Association
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Jan Hus Memorial

The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Šaloun and paid for solely by public donations.

Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.