Scharfenberg Castle (german: Burg Scharfenberg, popularly also called ''Münz''), is the
ruin of a
medieval rock castle
A rock castle (german: Felsenburg) is a type of medieval castle that directly incorporates natural rock outcrops into its defences to such an extent that the rock formations define the structure of the castle. Topographically, rock castles are c ...
in the
Palatine Forest in the German state of
Rhineland-Palatinate. It is situated above the small
South Palatine
The Palatinate (german: Pfalz; Palatine German: ''Palz'') is a region of Germany. In the Middle Ages it was known as the Rhenish Palatinate (''Rheinpfalz'') and Lower Palatinate (''Unterpfalz''), which strictly speaking designated only the wes ...
town of
Annweiler.
Geography
The
hill castle lies in the forest estate of the municipality of
Leinsweiler
Leinsweiler is a municipality in Südliche Weinstraße district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany. With other small villages, it forms the “Verbandsgemeinde” (‘collective municipality’) Landau-Land. (Named after the city of Landa ...
at a height of 489 metres on a rocky hill with a rounded summit, typical of the
Wasgau
The Wasgau (german: Wasgau, french: Vasgovie) is a Franco-German hill range in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the French departments of Bas-Rhin and Moselle. It is formed from the southern part of the Palatine Forest and the north ...
region, as the southern part of the Palatine Forest and the adjoining northern part of the
Vosges is called. Scharfenberg and its sister castles,
Trifels and
Anebos are known as the Trifels Group and are the symbol of Annweiler, which sprawls beneath them in the valley meadows of the River
Queich
The Queich is a tributary of the Rhine, which rises in the southern part of the Palatinate Forest, and flows through the Upper Rhine valley to its confluence with the Rhine in Germersheim. It is long and is one of the four major drainage system ...
. In the immediate vicinity lie the sites of two other castles, the ''Fensterfels'' and the ''Has''.
Description
The landmark of the castle is a 20-metre-high ''
bergfried'', whose walls are made of
rusticated ashlar
Two different styles of rustication in the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi in Florence; smooth-faced above and rough-faced below.">Florence.html" ;"title="Palazzo Medici-Riccardi in Florence">Palazzo Medici-Riccardi in Florence; smooth-faced above and r ...
s from the
Hohenstaufen era
The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...
. In addition, parts of the
well tower and
enceinte may still be seen.
History
Chronicle
Scharfenberg Castle was built in the first half of the 12th century under the
Hohenstaufen king,
Conrad III
Conrad III (german: Konrad; it, Corrado; 1093 or 1094 – 15 February 1152) of the Hohenstaufen dynasty was from 1116 to 1120 Duke of Franconia, from 1127 to 1135 anti-king of his predecessor Lothair III and from 1138 until his death in 1152 k ...
, who died in 1152. It was initially probably used as a
state gaol. After its subsequent owners, a ''
ministeriales'' family, had been named ''Scharfenberg'', it became the seat of the most important member of the family in the early 13th century, the Bishop of
Speyer and
Chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
of the
Holy Roman Empire,
Conrad III of Scharfenberg Conrad of Scharfenberg (german: Konrad von Scharfenberg; c. 1165 – 24 March 1224) was a Kingdom of Germany, German cleric who became bishop of Speyer (1200–24, as Conrad III) and later, simultaneously, bishop of Metz (1212–24). He came from a ...
. Since its destruction during the
Peasants' War
This is a chronological list of conflicts in which peasants played a significant role.
Background
The history of peasant wars spans over two thousand years. A variety of factors fueled the emergence of the peasant revolt phenomenon, including:
...
in 1525, the castle has lain in
ruins.
Popular name
Its popular name, ''Münz'', is often thought to relate to the
right of coinage (''
Münzrecht
From the Middle Ages to the Early modern period (or even later), to have minting rights was to have "the power to mint coins and to control currency within one's own dominion."
History
In the Middle Ages there were at times a large number of mi ...
'') which was granted to Annweiler in 1219 together with its
town rights. It was suspected that the town had its coins minted at the castle. However, this would have been very inconvenient and full of risk due to the isolation of the castle and its distance from the town. Its name is more likely to be derived from the
Latin word ''munitio'', which means "fortress" or "stronghold". Many other buildings in the Palatinate bear this name without having been connected with a mint.
[Rudolf Post: ''Pfälzisch. Einführung in eine Sprachlandschaft''. Pfälzische Verlagsanstalt, Landau 1990. pp. 156 ff. ]
References
Literature
* Rüdiger Bernges: ''Felsenburgen im Wasgau''. Warlich Druck Ahrweiler GmbH, Wuppertal, 2005, , p. 261–263.
*
* Walter Herrmann: ''Auf rotem Fels''. G. Braun Buchverlag, Karlsruhe, 2004, , pp. 184–185.
* Jürgen Keddigkeit, Ulrich Burkhart, Rolf Übel: ''Pfälzisches Burgenlexikon, Band 4.1''. Institut für pfälzische Geschichte und Volkskunde, Kaiserslautern, 2007, , pp. 424–439.
* Alexander Thon (ed.): ''... wie eine gebannte, unnahbare Zauberburg. Burgen in der Südpfalz''. 2., verbesserte Auflage. Schnell und Steiner, Regensburg, 2005, , pp. 132–137.
External links
* {{Ebidat, 525, Burg Scharfenberg
Photos of Scharfenberg Castle at Burgenparadies.deArtist's impressionby Wolfgang Braun
Castles in Rhineland-Palatinate
Rock castles
Buildings and structures in Südliche Weinstraße