Hornberg Castle (german: Burg Hornberg) is a partially ruined castle located on a steep outcrop above the
Neckar valley above the village
Neckarzimmern, between
Bad Wimpfen
Bad Wimpfen () is a historic spa town in the district of Heilbronn in the Baden-Württemberg region of southern Germany. It lies north of the city of Heilbronn, on the river Neckar.
Geography
Bad Wimpfen is located on the west bank of the River ...
and
Mosbach. It is the largest and oldest of the castles in the valley.
History
The original castle was built in the 11th century. It is notable as the stronghold of
Götz von Berlichingen
Gottfried "Götz" von Berlichingen (1480 – 23 July 1562), also known as Götz of the Iron Hand, was a German (Franconian) Imperial Knight (''Reichsritter''), mercenary, and poet. He was born around 1480 into the noble family of Berliching ...
, who bought it in 1517 and died there in 1562. The castle was bought by Reinhard of Gemmingen in 1612 and remains in possession of the Gemmingen-Hornberg family today. It was uninhabited from 1738 and left to decay until 1825, when it was partially restored. It has housed a museum since 1968.
It also housed students from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources for an annual summer exchange program.
See also
*
List of castles in Baden-Württemberg
Numerous castles can be found in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. These buildings, some of which have a history of over 1000 years, were the setting of historical events, domains of famous personalities and are still imposing buildings to ...
Notes
References
*G. H. Bidermann: Burg Hornberg, Wohnsitz des Ritters Götz von Berlichingen, Rüstzeugschau 1980. Journal Verlag Schwend GmbH, Schwäbisch Hall 1980
Hill castles
Landmarks in Germany
Ruined castles in Germany
Buildings and structures completed in the 11th century
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