Burg Ehrenfels (Hessen)
Encyclopedia
Ehrenfels Castle is a ruined castle
above the Rhine Gorge
near the town of Rüdesheim am Rhein in Hesse
, Germany
. It is located on the steep eastern bank of the river amid extended vineyards. The grape variety Ehrenfelser
is named after the castle.
It was (re-)built about 1212 at the behest of the Archbishop of Mainz
as a defensive work against the constant attacks by Elector Palatine Henry V
, who, as Imperial vicar
of Franconia
, strived to cut down the archbishop's reach. Mainz staffed the castle with Burgmann
en and erected a customs
post controlling the shipping on the Rhine, supplemented by the Mouse Tower
below at the river. Heavily damaged in the course of the Thirty Years' War
, the castle was finally devastated by French
troops under the command of Lieutenant General Nicolas Chalon du Blé
during the 1689 Siege of Mainz
.
The ruin can be reached from Rüdesheim via a hiking trail through the vineyards. The interior however can only be visited in guided tours by prior appointment.
Castle
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...
above the 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...
near the town of Rüdesheim am Rhein in Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, 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 located on the steep eastern bank of the river amid extended vineyards. The grape variety Ehrenfelser
Ehrenfelser
Ehrenfelser is a white wine grape variety of German origin. It was created by Dr. Heinrich Birk at the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute in 1929, by crossing the varieties Riesling and Silvaner, with the identification of Silvaner being somewhat uncertain.Ehrenfelser is grown primarily in the...
is named after the castle.
It was (re-)built about 1212 at the behest of the Archbishop of Mainz
Archbishopric of Mainz
The Archbishopric of Mainz or Electorate of Mainz was an influential ecclesiastic and secular prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire between 780–82 and 1802. In the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, the Archbishop of Mainz was the primas Germaniae, the substitute of the Pope north of the Alps...
as a defensive work against the constant attacks by Elector Palatine Henry V
Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine
Henry was count palatine of the Rhine from 6 August 1195 to 1213.Henry was the eldest son of Duke Henry the Lion, from his marriage to Matilda, eldest daughter of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He grew up in England and became count palatine of the Rhine through his 1193...
, who, as Imperial vicar
Imperial vicar
An imperial vicar was a prince charged with administering all or part of the Holy Roman Empire on behalf of the Emperor. Later, an imperial vicar was invariably one of two princes charged by the Golden Bull with administering the Holy Roman Empire during an interregnum.The Holy Roman Empire had no...
of Franconia
Rhenish Franconia
Rhenish Franconia or Western Franconia denotes the western half of the central German stem duchy of Franconia in the 10th and 11th century, with its residence at the city of Worms...
, strived to cut down the archbishop's reach. Mainz staffed the castle with Burgmann
Burgmann
A Burgmann was a member of the low aristocracy in the Middle Ages who guarded and defended castles. They were hired by a lord of the castle to take on the burghut, the guarding and defense of a castle....
en and erected a customs
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
post controlling the shipping on the Rhine, supplemented by the Mouse Tower
Mouse Tower
The Mouse Tower is a stone tower on a small island in the Rhine, outside Bingen am Rhein, Germany. The Romans were the first to build a structure on this site. It later became part of Franconia, and it fell and had to be rebuilt many times....
below at the river. Heavily damaged in the course of 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....
, the castle was finally devastated by French
Early Modern France
Kingdom of France is the early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century...
troops under the command of Lieutenant General Nicolas Chalon du Blé
Nicolas Chalon du Blé
Nicolas Chalon du Blé, marquis d'Uxelles and Cormatin was a French general and Foreign Minister. He was also created a knight and Marshal of France by Louis XIV, and was a diplomat for Louis XIV and Philippe II, Duke of Orléans.-Biography:-Early years:du Blé was born at Chalon-sur-Saône.His...
during the 1689 Siege of Mainz
Siege of Mainz
In the Siege of Mainz , from 14 April to 23 July 1793, a coalition of Prussia, Austria, and other German states besieged and captured Mainz from revolutionary French forces...
.
The ruin can be reached from Rüdesheim via a hiking trail through the vineyards. The interior however can only be visited in guided tours by prior appointment.