Marksburg
Encyclopedia
The Marksburg is a fortress above the town of Braubach
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It is the only medieval castle of the Middle Rhine
that has never been destroyed. It is one of the principal sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Rhine Gorge
. The fortress was used for protection rather than as a residence for royal families.
The castle was built to protect the town of Braubach and to reinforce the customs facilities.
It was built about 1117 and explicitly first mentioned in 1231. In 1283 Count Eberhard of Katzenelnbogen
bought it and through the 14th and 15th century the high noble Counts rebuilt the castle constantly.
1479 the territories of the Count of Katzenelnbogen went to the Count of Hessen.
In the Napoleon period the castle was used as a prison. 1815 it belonged to the Duchy of Nassau. After the Austro-Prussian War 1866 the Duchy of Nassau became a territory of Prussia.
Finally it was sold 1900 for a symbolic price of 1000 Goldmark to the German Castle Association, which had been founded a year earlier as a private initiative to preserve castles in Germany. The Marksburg is the head office of this organisation since 1931.
In March 1945, the castle was damaged heavily by American artillery fired from the other side of the Rhine.
Braubach
Braubach is a municipality in the Rhein-Lahn-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Rhine, approx. 10 km southeast of Koblenz...
in Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is the only medieval castle of the Middle Rhine
Middle Rhine
Between Bingen and Bonn, Germany, the Rhine River flows as the Middle Rhine through the Rhine Gorge, a formation created by erosion, which happened at about the same rate as an uplift in the region, leaving the river at about its original level, and the surrounding lands raised...
that has never been destroyed. It is one of the principal sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Rhine Gorge
Rhine Gorge
The Rhine Gorge is a popular name for the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a 65 km section of the River Rhine between Koblenz and Bingen in Germany...
. The fortress was used for protection rather than as a residence for royal families.
The castle was built to protect the town of Braubach and to reinforce the customs facilities.
It was built about 1117 and explicitly first mentioned in 1231. In 1283 Count Eberhard of Katzenelnbogen
Katzenelnbogen
Katzenelnbogen is the name of a castle and small city in the district of Rhein-Lahn-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Katzenelnbogen is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Katzenelnbogen.-History:...
bought it and through the 14th and 15th century the high noble Counts rebuilt the castle constantly.
1479 the territories of the Count of Katzenelnbogen went to the Count of Hessen.
In the Napoleon period the castle was used as a prison. 1815 it belonged to the Duchy of Nassau. After the Austro-Prussian War 1866 the Duchy of Nassau became a territory of Prussia.
Finally it was sold 1900 for a symbolic price of 1000 Goldmark to the German Castle Association, which had been founded a year earlier as a private initiative to preserve castles in Germany. The Marksburg is the head office of this organisation since 1931.
In March 1945, the castle was damaged heavily by American artillery fired from the other side of the Rhine.