Wiesenburg Castle
Encyclopedia
The Wiesenburg Castle is castle located in the Wiesenburg district of Wildenfels
, Saxony, on a hill overlooking the eastern shore of the Mulde
river. The castle protects the bridge across the Mulde to Schönau
and Wildenfels.
arose out of a medieval castle, the construction of which probably began around the year 1200. The castle was first mentioned in a document dated 1251. The building was expanded in the 14th Century.
The only remains of the original castle are a part of the round keep
, remnants of the castle wall, and a moat. Today's courtyard, with its timber
construction and the octagonal gate tower were developed when the castle was reconstructed in 1664 after the Thirty Years' War
.
of Weida
, who monitored the settling of the Kirchberg, Saxony
basin and the Mulde area south-east of Zwickau
. The inhabitants of more than twenty villages in the area had to pay socage
to the castle, for example, all villages in the Rödel valley. Later, the castle ownership changed many times:
1990 the castle is privately owned again. It is not publicly accessible.
Wildenfels
Wildenfels is a municipality in Germany, Landkreis Zwickau in the administrative region of Chemnitz, the Free State of Saxony. It is situated 9 km southeast of Zwickau....
, Saxony, on a hill overlooking the eastern shore of the Mulde
Mulde
The Mulde is a river in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Elbe and 124 km in length.The river is formed by the confluence, near Colditz, of the Zwickauer Mulde and the Freiberger Mulde , both rising from the Ore Mountains...
river. The castle protects the bridge across the Mulde to Schönau
Schönau
- People :* Horst Schönau* Elizabeth of Schönau, a Benedictine nun at Schönau Abbey of Nassau and a friend of Hildegarde of Bingen- Places :Germany:* Schönau , a town in Baden-Württemberg** Schönau Abbey, in this town...
and Wildenfels.
Structure
Today's CastleCastle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
arose out of a medieval castle, the construction of which probably began around the year 1200. The castle was first mentioned in a document dated 1251. The building was expanded in the 14th Century.
The only remains of the original castle are a part of the round keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
, remnants of the castle wall, and a moat. Today's courtyard, with its timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
construction and the octagonal gate tower were developed when the castle was reconstructed in 1664 after the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
.
History and owners
The first owners were the VogtsVogts
Vogts is a surname, and may refer to:* Berti Vogts, a German football player and manager* Howard C. Vogts, a winning high school football coach in New York state...
of Weida
Weida
Weida can refer to the following:*Weida, Thuringia, a town in Thuringia, Germany*Weida , a river in Eastern Thuringia*Weida , a creek in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany*Weida-Land, a Verwaltungsgemeinschaft in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany...
, who monitored the settling of the Kirchberg, Saxony
Kirchberg, Saxony
Kirchberg is a town in the Zwickau district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western end of the Ore Mountains, 11 km south of Zwickau....
basin and the Mulde area south-east of Zwickau
Zwickau
Zwickau in Germany, former seat of the government of the south-western region of the Free State of Saxony, belongs to an industrial and economical core region. Nowadays it is the capital city of the district of Zwickau...
. The inhabitants of more than twenty villages in the area had to pay socage
Socage
Socage was one of the feudal duties and hence land tenure forms in the feudal system. A farmer, for example, held the land in exchange for a clearly defined, fixed payment to be made at specified intervals to his feudal lord, who in turn had his own feudal obligations, to the farmer and to the Crown...
to the castle, for example, all villages in the Rödel valley. Later, the castle ownership changed many times:
- 1350 the castle came into the possession of the House of WettinWettinWettin is:*House of Wettin, a German Royal House*Wettin Castle, near Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, ancestral seat of the House of Wettin*Asteroid 90709 Wettin, named in the castle's and House's honour...
- 1412-1591 the caslte was owned by the von der Planitz family
- 1523, ie before the Peasants' WarPeasants' WarThe Peasants' War was a popular revolt that took place in Europe during 1524–1525...
, the castle was sacked by the serfs. Two years later, the peasants revolted again. Based on the time imposed fines, one can calculate that 283 farmers must have participated in the uprising. That would have been almost all farmers of the estate subject to socage. - 1591 the city of ZwickauZwickauZwickau in Germany, former seat of the government of the south-western region of the Free State of Saxony, belongs to an industrial and economical core region. Nowadays it is the capital city of the district of Zwickau...
purchased the castle and the dominion - 1618 the Elector of Saxony obtained them
- 1663 castle and lordship of Wiesnburg plus the city of KirchbergKirchberg, SaxonyKirchberg is a town in the Zwickau district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western end of the Ore Mountains, 11 km south of Zwickau....
were sold to Philip Louis of Holstein-SonderburgPhilip Louis, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-WiesenburgPhilip Louis of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Wiesenburg was the founder and first duke of the line Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Wiesenburg... - 1724 the lordship was acquired by Augustus II the StrongAugustus II the StrongFrederick Augustus I or Augustus II the Strong was Elector of Saxony and King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania ....
, who turned it info am Amt - 1803 the great hallGreat hallA great hall is the main room of a royal palace, nobleman's castle or a large manor house in the Middle Ages, and in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries. At that time the word great simply meant big, and had not acquired its modern connotations of excellence...
collapsed - 1864 the castle and dominion were separated, the castle was sold to the district poor law association
- 1864-1911 the castle was in use as a poor house
- 1911 the castle was bought back
- 1945 the castle was publicly owned; many homes were created inside the structure. The farm buildings were used by the local Landwirtschaftliche ProduktionsgenossenschaftLandwirtschaftliche ProduktionsgenossenschaftThe German expression Landwirtschaftliche Produktionsgenossenschaft , or — more commonly — its acronym LPG was the official designation for large, collectivised farms in the former East Germany, corresponding to Soviet Kolkhoz.The collectivisation of private and state owned agricultural...
(collectived farms, comparable to a Kolkhoz in the Sovier Union).
1990 the castle is privately owned again. It is not publicly accessible.