
The Castle of Linz () is a
castle
A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
in
Linz am Rhein, Germany, built between 1364 and 1368 by
Heinrich von Virneburg, who was the archbishop of
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
at the time. The main function of the castle was to collect river tolls. During the
Neuss War in 1475, the castle was besieged and badly damaged. From 1811 to 1851, it served as a prison. The castle lost its importance when the town of Linz am Rhein was sold to
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
in 1820. In 1942–1945, during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the castle was once again used as a prison. The structure today is now privately owned and used as a public venue.
References
Further reading
* Laß, Heiko (2005). ''Der Rhein: Burgen und Schlösser von Mainz bis Köln''. Petersberg:
Michael Imhof Verlag.
* Thon, Alexander; Ulrich, Stefan (2010). ''"... Wie ein Monarch Mitten in Seinem Hofstaate Thront": Burgen am Unteren Mittelrhein''. Regensburg: Schnell & Steiner. .
External links
Burg Linz history
Castles in Rhineland-Palatinate
14th-century establishments in the Holy Roman Empire
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