Frankenstein Castle is a medieval fortification on a
spur
A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to back ...
above the village of
Frankenstein, Rhineland-Palatinate
Frankenstein is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany. On a hill towering over the village is Frankenstein Castle. Frankenstein (Pfalz) station
Frankenstein (Pfalz) station is the station of t ...
in the
Palatinate Forest in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Its name derives from the local House of Frankenstein.
History
The name first appeared in a document of 1146 mentioning the free nobleman (
Edelfrei
The term ''edelfrei'' or ''hochfrei'' ("free noble" or "free knight") was originally used to designate and distinguish those Germanic noblemen from the Second Estate (see Estates of the realm social hierarchy), who were legally entitled to atonem ...
) Helenger of Frankenstein. But the beginning of the castle is assumed to be at an earlier date because the erection of a defensive tower around 1100 is reported in various documents.
The tower belonged to nearby
Limburg Abbey
Limburg Abbey is a ruined abbey near Bad Dürkheim, at the edge of the Palatinate Forest in Germany. In the 9th century, the Salian Dukes from Worms built a fortress on the ''Linthberg'' as their family seat. In the early 11th century, the fortr ...
in charge of security on the road to
Speyer
Speyer (, older spelling ''Speier'', French: ''Spire,'' historical English: ''Spires''; pfl, Schbaija) is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the river Rhine, Speyer li ...
,
Dürkheim and
Worms Worms may refer to:
*Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs
Places
*Worms, Germany, a city
**Worms (electoral district)
*Worms, Nebraska, U.S.
*Worms im Veltlintal, the German name for Bormio, Italy
Arts and entertainme ...
. In 1205, the monastery commissioned
the counts of
Leiningen with this task. The counts had the tower expanded to a castle in the beginning of the 13th. century.
From 1204 to 1231, documents mention the knights Marquard, Friedrich and Helenger von Frankenstein as administrators in charge of the castle. Around 1390 Frankenstein Castle became a joint heritage castle when Limburg Abbey
pledged half of the castle to the Lords of
Einselthum
Einselthum is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe a ...
. A part of this pledge was taken over by the counts of
Nassau
Nassau may refer to:
Places Bahamas
*Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence
Canada
*Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792
*Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...
-Saarbrücken and Leiningen-Hardenburg in the beginning of the 15th. century.
In the second half of the 15th. century the castle was damaged in the struggles between Prince-elector
Frederick I Frederick I may refer to:
* Frederick of Utrecht or Frederick I (815/16–834/38), Bishop of Utrecht.
* Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (942–978)
* Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050–1105)
* Frederick I, Count of Zoller ...
and Count Palatine
Ludwig I of Zweibrücken. The castle suffered further damage, presumably in 1512, when the Count of Nassau conquered it on orders of emperor
Maximilian I Maximilian I may refer to:
*Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, reigned 1486/93–1519
*Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, reigned 1597–1651
*Maximilian I, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1636-1689)
*Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, reigned 1795†...
. During the
German Peasants' War
The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt (german: Deutscher Bauernkrieg) was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It failed because of intense oppositio ...
the castle was destroyed and was considered uninhabitable as of 1560. Nevertheless, it served military purposes because of its strategic position.
In the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
the Spanish General
Ambrosio Spinola
Ambrogio Spinola Doria, 1st Marquess of Los Balbases and 1st Duke of Sesto (1569-25 September 1630) was an Italian ''condottiero'' and nobleman of the Republic of Genoa, who served as a Spanish general and won a number of important battles. He i ...
captured the castle. In the
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
it was used to accommodate French troops. It is confirmed that these troops still used the castle chapel for mass in 1703.
In 1706, the
Electoral Palatinate
The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of ...
took possession of the Nassau-Saarbrücken share of the castle.
After the Palatinate had become part of Bavaria, the ruins of the castle were secured in 1883–84. Another upgrading took place in 1938–39.
Today the castle is owned by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. In the 1970s and 1980s some parts of the castle were restored and foundations of a previously unknown
shield wall
A shield wall ( or in Old English, in Old Norse) is a military formation that was common in ancient and medieval warfare. There were many slight variations of this formation,
but the common factor was soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder ...
were unearthed.
Further reading
* Jochen Goetze, Werner Richner: ''Burgen in der Pfalz''. 1. Edition. Edition Braus, Heidelberg 1992, .
* Walter Herrmann: ''Auf rotem Fels''. Braun, Karlsruhe 2004. .
* Jürgen Keddigkeit: „Frankenstein“. Pfälzisches Burgenlexikon. Vol. 2. F–H, Kaiserslautern 2002, p. 115–129,
* Landesamt für Denkmalpflege, Burgen, Schlösser, Altertümer Rheinland-Pfalz: ''Burg Frankenstein''. Koblenz 2003 (= Staatliche Burgen, Schlösser und Altertümer in Rheinland-Pfalz, Heft 7).
* Wolfgang Reininger: ''Wahrhaftige Abbildung derjenigen Städte Schlösser und Flecken welche Ambrosius Spinola in der Churpfalz am Rhein eingenommen im Jahr 1620 und 1621''.
* Alexander Thon: ''„Wie Schwalben Nester an den Felsen geklebt …“ Burgen in der Nordpfalz''. Verlag Schnell und Steiner, Regensburg 2005, , p. 54–59.
External links
Burg Frankenstein on the web page of Frankenstein*
{{Authority control
Castles in Rhineland-Palatinate
Buildings and structures in Kaiserslautern (district)