Lichtenstein Castle (Württemberg)

For other uses, see Lichtenstein Castle.
Not to be confused with Liechtenstein Castle.
Lichtenstein Castle
(German: Schloss Lichtenstein)

Arms of the Dukes of Urach

Arms of the Dukes of Urach

Lichtenstein Castle, circa 2010

Lichtenstein Castle, circa 2010
Location in Baden-Württemberg
Schloss Lichtenstein
Location in Baden-Württemberg
Etymology Lichtenstein English: Bright, shiny stone[1]
General information
Status Rebuilt
Type Schloss
Architectural style Gothic revival[2]
Biedermeier
Classification Fairy tale Castle
Location Reutlingen, Baden-Württemberg
Town or city Honau
Country Germany
Coordinates 48°24′24″N 9°15′29″E / 48.40667°N 9.25806°E / 48.40667; 9.25806Coordinates: 48°24′24″N 9°15′29″E / 48.40667°N 9.25806°E / 48.40667; 9.25806
Elevation 817 metres (2,680 ft) (NN)
Current tenants Duke Wilhelm Albert von Urach
Construction started 1840
Completed 1842[3]
Inaugurated 1842
Renovated 1980, 1998–2002
Client Duke Wilhelm of Urach
Owner Dukes of Urach
Height 817 metres (2,680 feet)
Design and construction
Architect Carl Alexander Heideloff
Website
www.schloss-lichtenstein.de/en/

Lichtenstein Castle (German: Schloss Lichtenstein), also known as the "Fairy tale castle of Württemberg,"[4] is an 1840s Biedermeier-style Gothic Revival castle built on a large rock situated in the Swabian Jura and overlooking the Echaz Valley near Honau, Reutlingen in the Tüblingen region of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.[2] Though a few structures have stood on this spot, the current edifice was built between 1840 and 1842.[5]

Geography

The castle is located on the Albtrauf of the Swabian Jura in the Reutlingen district at an altitude of 817 metres (2,680 feet) above sea level[6] and about 250 metres (820 feet) above the Echaz river, a small tributary of the Neckar river.[4] The ruins of Schloss Lichtenstein's medieval predecessor, Burg Alt-Lichtenstein (English: Old Lichtenstein castle), lie 500 metres (1,600 feet) away.[7]

History

Background

The Forsthaus of 1802 atop the cliff, c. early 19th Century

Since around 1100, a castle belonging to a family of Ministerials of the Counts of Alchalm, and later Counts of Württemberg, has been located on this part of the Albtrauf above the source of the river Echaz.[8] The castle and its denizens, the Lords of Lichtenstein, were not friends of the Free Imperial City of Reutlingen and were thus under frequent attack. The old castle was destroyed twice, once during the Reichskrieg of 1311 and again by the citizens of Reutlingen sometime between 1377 and 1381.[4] A new castle was built in 1390 some 500 metres (1,600 ft) from the ruins (now referred to as Burg Alt-Lichtenstein) on the site of the current structure, and was one of the most impressive fortifications of the Late Middle Ages.[4] Despite such features as early casemates that made it nearly unassailable, the castle ceased to be the ducal seat in 1567 and fell into disrepair.[4] During the Thirty Years War (1618–1648), it was taken over by the Tyrolean line of the Hapsburgs following the death of the last Lichtensteiner in 1687 during the Great Turkish War.[9] The coat of arms of their family, a pair of golden angel wings on a blue background, is still displayed in the Rittersaal (English: Knight's hall) of the castle.

In 1802, King Frederick I of Württemberg came into possession of the castle, dismantled it to its foundations and replaced it with a somewhat ungainly hunting lodge, or Forsthaus.[9]

Modern castle

In the wake of 19th Century Romanticism, medieval virtues like chivalry became increasingly popular among the elites. Parallel to this, medieval architecture, primarily Gothic style, returned to public attention in Germany with the unfinished Cologne Cathedral,[Note 1] leading to the rise of Gothic Revival architecture.[12] Other notable examples of this romantic infatuation with medieval structures and architecture from the greater region of Europe are the Votive Cathedral of Vienna and Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria. The propagation of this style and the turn back to supposedly ancient national traditions, went along with the spread of nationalism across Europe, creating a new cultural era in Europe.

In 1826, German poet and patriot Wilhelm Hauff published his book Lichtenstein, in which the castle, the book's namesake, played a major role.[13][14] Hauff's novel was inspired by the historical romances of Walter Scott, some of which Hauff reviewed and wrote a parody about.[15] King Frederick's cousin, Duke Wilhelm von Urach, a German patriot, who was very interested in medieval history, art, and architecture, was so inspired by the book that he purchased the estate — at that time merely another crumbling ruin in the Swabian Jura — from the King in 1837,[9] after negotiations for the purchase with the resident Oberförster Philipp Freiherr von Hügel and his successor Friedrich von Mandelsloh.[16]

Demolition of the Forsthaus, 1839

Desiring an accurate emulation of a medieval castle to live in and house his substantial collection of medieval arts, arms, and armour, Duke Wilhelm recruited master architect and restorationist Carl Alexander Heideloff after turning down designs by Württemberg court painter Franz Seraph Stirnbrand and Christian Wilhelm von Faber du Faur - designs that differed substantially from today's structure.[8] Construction of the historic gothic revival Neues Schloss Lichtenstein (English: New Lichtenstein castle) began in 1840 and was managed by Johann Georg Rupp.[8] The new structure, its design heavily influenced by Count Wilhelm,[8] reused the ancient foundations of the castle of 1390, and stood up to three stories tall, with a curtain wall and courtyard to complete the castle complex. A barbican and a sprawling outer bailey, complete with corner bastions and turrets, was constructed in 1857.[9] Following this, the castle was then decorated within and without by Nuremberg painter and architect Georg Eberlein,[17] and two altar panels by an Austrian known as the "Master of Schloss Lichtenstein."[18] The castle was completed in 1842, and the King was present for its inauguration ceremony.[19] With the castle complete, it became the official residence of the Dukes of Urach in 1869.[9]

After the Revolution of 1848, then-Count Wilhelm became the First Duke of Urach. A passionate artillery officer, he desired to improve the defenses of his castle and so began to build pre-outwork caponiers in the style of the imperial Fortress of Ulm (though not on a scale as grand) and a trench along the fortress to deter attack. Later he had cannons placed in the bastions on the walls.[20] From 1898 to 1901 the two buildings left of the main gate, the "Fürstenbau" (German: Baronial building) and the old forester's house, were constructed and expanded respectively.[9] A motion to build a cableway up to the castle in 1911 was rejected because it was believed it would ruin the beauty of the castle.[8]

Restoration

Outer bailey structure

The castle was damaged during World War II,[9] but efforts to restore the castle began in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War.[9] Once again, and thanks to local non-profit organizations like the Wüstenrot Foundation[21] and Community Fund for the Preservation of Lichtenstein Castle, the walls were restored in 1980, continued with the second floor in 1998, and were completed with the upper floor and roof in 2002.[4]

Still owned by the Dukes of Urach, the castle is open to the public via guided tour, although some rooms may not be entered. The courtyard is open to the general public, allowing the gun emplacements on the walls to be viewed.

Schlossherren

Aerial view
The castle on its escarpment

Recreations

In 1862, a castle was constructed in Lietzow, at Bergen auf Rügen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, that copied much from Lichtenstein castle.

The "Leckzapfen" vineyard house constructed at Osthofen in 1891 in Worms in the Rhenish Hesse is almost a miniature version of the main hall of Lichtenstein Castle.[25]

Reynier Fritz, a German-born Cape Town businessman well known in advertising circles, first saw the 19th-century Schloss Lichtenstein in the land of his ancestors and decided to one day replicate it in upon his return to Hout Bay, South Africa. He was able to start building in 1986 and 12 years later it was completed,[26] and he eventually turned it into a guest house before he died there.[27] Sometime after his death, his widow, Christine, sold it to an overseas buyer.[27] Although allegedly haunted,[27] the castle is considered one of the area's more popular attractions. In 2012, the castle was sold for 23 million Rand to a Russian business man.[26] While the business man himself remains yet unnamed, his wife's name is apparently Svetlana Besfamilnaya.[27]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ As was typical with the construction of cathedrals,[10] Cologne Cathedral took a very long time to build.[11] In the instance of Cologne Cathedral, construction began in 1248 and finally was completed in 1880.[11]

Citations

  1. ↑ "Meaning "light" or "sheen", "shine"". Woerterbuchnezt. Trier Center for Digital Humanities. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Facts and History of Lichtenstein Castle". Famous Castles.
  3. ↑ "Lichtenstein Castle: 7 Facts That Will Make You Want to Visit". Mountains and Monkeys.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "History and family". Schloss Lichtenstein. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  5. ↑ "Travel to Lichtenstein Castle". hivino.travel. HiVino.
  6. ↑ "Walkabout". Schloss Lichtenstein.
  7. ↑ "Ruine Alt-Lichtenstein". gemeinde-lichtenstein.de. Municipality of Lichtenstein.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Geschichte des Schlosses Lichtenstein". Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Chronology". Schloss Lichtenstein.
  10. ↑ "Cathedral Building in the Middle Ages". Durham World Heritage Site.
  11. 1 2 Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Cologne Cathedral - UNESCO World Heritage Centre". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  12. ↑ The importance of the Cologne completion project in German-speaking lands has been explored by Michael J. Lewis, "The Politics of the German Gothic Revival: August Reichensperger".
  13. ↑ Lichtenstein by Wilhelm Hauff at Project Gutenberg
  14. ↑ DK Publishing, p. 301
  15. ↑ Stefan Knödler: "Heute geholt und morgen zurükgegeben" in: Archiv für Geschichte des Buchwesens, vol. 70, 2015, p. 260
  16. ↑ Negogiations for the purchase of the Forsthaus of 1802 inventory GU 20: Lichtenstein Castle: construction, use and management, 1. Background to the Castle building: purchase negotiations.
  17. ↑ Hartig, pp.98–106
  18. ↑ "Master of Schloss Lichtenstein". The Grove Encyclopedia of Northern Renaissance Art. Oxford Index.
  19. ↑ "Lichtenstein Castle". Triposo.
  20. ↑ Ottersbach, pp. 100–120
  21. ↑ "Sponsors + friends". Schloss Lichtenstein.
  22. ↑ "Schloss Lichtenstein, german stamp 1982". German-Stamps.org. 16 June 1982.
  23. ↑ "Burg Hohenzollern & Schloss Lichtenstein". Das Erste.
  24. ↑ Walden, Matthew. "15 Incredible Street Fighter Stages". Gamespot. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Miniaturburg Leckzapfen".
  26. 1 2 "Hout Bay's famous castle sold for R23m". property24. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  27. 1 2 3 4 "Spooky castle gets new owner". News 24.

Bibliography

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