Burg Sooneck
Encyclopedia
Burg Sooneck is a castle
in the upper middle valley of the Rhine, in the Mainz-Bingen
district of Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It is located near the village of Niederheimbach
between Bingen
and Bacharach
.
Since 2002, Burg Sooneck has been part of the Rhine Gorge
UNESCO
World Heritage Site
.
, the castle was managed by the Lords of Hohenfels as bailiff
s for Kornelimünster Abbey
near Aachen
.
What is certain is that the castle was besieged in 1282 by King Rudolph I
. His troops overran and destroyed the castle and the king imposed a ban on rebuilding it, which he explicitly restated in 1290. When the Castle was rebuilt it was given to an Austrian family who were fervent supporters of the Habsburgs the Reitenaours to stop the Swiss expansion. The wars with the Swiss claimed many Reitenours George, Robert and most famasly Nicholas who died in the battle of Sempach
.
In April 1346 Archbishop Henry III of Mainz gave Burg Sooneck in fief to Johann, Knight Marshall of Waldeck, who subsequently had a new castle built on the site. After his death it passed jointly to four of his heirs and the castle thus became a multi-family property, or Ganerbenburg.
The branches of the family jointly residing in the castle were not on good terms and quarreled over inheritances. Several times, peace had to be legally imposed.
When the line of Waldeck died out in 1553 with the death of Philipp Melchior, the Breidbach zu Bürresheim family, previously co-tenants, became sole tenants of Burg Sooneck. When that family became extinct, the castle began to fall into disrepair.
In the course of the War of the Palatine Succession, Sooneck - like all the castles on the left bank of the Rhine - was destroyed in 1689 by troops of King Louis XIV of France
.
In 1774, the Archdiocese of Mainz leased the ruins to four residents of Trechtingshausen
who planted vineyards. The site later came into the possession of the village of Niederheimbach.
In 1834, the then crown prince
of Prussia
, Frederick William IV, and his brothers Princes William, Charles
, and Albert bought the completely derelict castle and between 1834 and 1861 had it rebuilt as a hunting castle. In the rebuilding, which was designed by the military architect Carl Schnitzler, the historical structures were largely retained with the addition of buildings in romantic style. The Prussian royal crest that remains over the north gate of the castle dates to this period. Disagreements within the royal family and the effects of the revolutions in Germany in 1848
prevented the castle from ever being used as a hunting lodge.
After World War I
aristocratic properties were nationalized and Burg Sooneck became a possession of the state. After World War II
it passed to the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and in 1948 to the State Ministry of Castles (today Generaldirektion Kukturelles Erbe Rheinland-Pfalz Direktion Burgen, Schlösser, Altertümer Rheinland-Pfalz). It can be visited on organized tours.
styles. The interiors are enriched by paintings owned by the Hohenzollern family and, since 1991, the Köth-Wanscheid family foundation, and drawings and sketches by Johann-Caspar Schneider among others.
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...
in the upper middle valley of the Rhine, in the Mainz-Bingen
Mainz-Bingen
Mainz-Bingen is a district in the east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are Rheingau-Taunus, the district-free cities Wiesbaden and Mainz, the districts Groß-Gerau, Alzey-Worms, Bad Kreuznach, Rhein-Hunsrück.-History:During the French occupation under Napoleon the district...
district of 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 located near the village of Niederheimbach
Niederheimbach
Niederheimbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
between Bingen
Bingen am Rhein
Bingen am Rhein is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.The settlement’s original name was Bingium, a Celtic word that may have meant “hole in the rock”, a description of the shoal behind the Mäuseturm, known as the Binger Loch. Bingen was the starting point for the...
and Bacharach
Bacharach
Bacharach is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Rhein-Nahe, whose seat is in Bingen am Rhein, although that town is not within its bounds....
.
Since 2002, Burg Sooneck has been part of 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...
UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.
History
Recent research has established that the castle is probably first mentioned in 1271. Like neighboring Burg Reichenstein (Rhein)Burg Reichenstein (Rhein)
The Burg Reichenstein is a castle near the town of Trechtingshausen in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Sources and external links:*...
, the castle was managed by the Lords of Hohenfels as bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
s for Kornelimünster Abbey
Kornelimünster Abbey
Kornelimünster Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Kornelimünster, since 1972 a part of Aachen , in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.- First foundation :...
near Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
.
What is certain is that the castle was besieged in 1282 by King Rudolph I
Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolph I was King of the Romans from 1273 until his death. He played a vital role in raising the Habsburg dynasty to a leading position among the Imperial feudal dynasties...
. His troops overran and destroyed the castle and the king imposed a ban on rebuilding it, which he explicitly restated in 1290. When the Castle was rebuilt it was given to an Austrian family who were fervent supporters of the Habsburgs the Reitenaours to stop the Swiss expansion. The wars with the Swiss claimed many Reitenours George, Robert and most famasly Nicholas who died in the battle of Sempach
Battle of Sempach
An armistice was agreed upon on 12 October, followed by a peace agreement valid for one year, beginning on 14 January 1387.The battle was a severe blow to Austrian interests in the region, and allowed for the further growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy....
.
In April 1346 Archbishop Henry III of Mainz gave Burg Sooneck in fief to Johann, Knight Marshall of Waldeck, who subsequently had a new castle built on the site. After his death it passed jointly to four of his heirs and the castle thus became a multi-family property, or Ganerbenburg.
The branches of the family jointly residing in the castle were not on good terms and quarreled over inheritances. Several times, peace had to be legally imposed.
When the line of Waldeck died out in 1553 with the death of Philipp Melchior, the Breidbach zu Bürresheim family, previously co-tenants, became sole tenants of Burg Sooneck. When that family became extinct, the castle began to fall into disrepair.
In the course of the War of the Palatine Succession, Sooneck - like all the castles on the left bank of the Rhine - was destroyed in 1689 by troops of King Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
.
In 1774, the Archdiocese of Mainz leased the ruins to four residents of Trechtingshausen
Trechtingshausen
Trechtingshausen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
who planted vineyards. The site later came into the possession of the village of Niederheimbach.
In 1834, the then crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
, Frederick William IV, and his brothers Princes William, Charles
Prince Charles of Prussia
Prince Frederick Charles Alexander of Prussia born in Charlottenburg, was a younger son of Frederick William III of Prussia and Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz...
, and Albert bought the completely derelict castle and between 1834 and 1861 had it rebuilt as a hunting castle. In the rebuilding, which was designed by the military architect Carl Schnitzler, the historical structures were largely retained with the addition of buildings in romantic style. The Prussian royal crest that remains over the north gate of the castle dates to this period. Disagreements within the royal family and the effects of the revolutions in Germany in 1848
Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution – part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many countries of Europe – were a series of loosely coordinated protests and rebellions in the states of the German Confederation, including the Austrian Empire...
prevented the castle from ever being used as a hunting lodge.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
aristocratic properties were nationalized and Burg Sooneck became a possession of the state. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it passed to the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and in 1948 to the State Ministry of Castles (today Generaldirektion Kukturelles Erbe Rheinland-Pfalz Direktion Burgen, Schlösser, Altertümer Rheinland-Pfalz). It can be visited on organized tours.
Furnishings
The residential areas of the castle are furnished predominantly with items in the neo-gothic and BiedermeierBiedermeier
In Central Europe, the Biedermeier era refers to the middle-class sensibilities of the historical period between 1815, the year of the Congress of Vienna at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, and 1848, the year of the European revolutions...
styles. The interiors are enriched by paintings owned by the Hohenzollern family and, since 1991, the Köth-Wanscheid family foundation, and drawings and sketches by Johann-Caspar Schneider among others.
Sources
- Burgen, Schlösser, Altertümer, Rheinland-Pfalz, Staatliche Burgen, Schlösser und Altertümer in Rheinland-Pfalz, Regensburg: Schnell & Steiner, 2003, ISBN 3-7954-1566-7.
- Michael P. Fuhr, Wer will des Stromes Hüter sein? 40 Burgen und Schlösser am Mittelrhein, 1st ed. Regensurg: Schnell & Steiner, 2002, ISBN 3-7954-1460-1, pp. 30–33.
- Ursula Rathke, Burg Sooneck. Guidebook, Verwaltung der staatlichen Schlösser Rheinland-Pfalz #8, Mainz 1995.
- Alexander Thon, "Städte gegen Burgen: Tatsächliche und Mutmaßliche Belagerungen von Burgen am Mittelrhein durch den Rheinischen Bund 1254-1257," in Jahrbuch für westdeutsche Landesgeschichte 34, 2008, pp. 17–42: pp. 33–36 on 1254 siege.
External links
- Picture of the Burg Sonneck Ruin in J. F. Dielmann et al., F. C. Vogels Panorama des Rheins, Bilder des Rechten und Linken Rheinufers, Frankfurt: Lithographische Anstalt F. C. Vogel, 1833.
- Burg Sooneck in "Burgen, Schlösser, Altertümer Rheinland-Pfalz" (German).
- Burg Sooneck in regionalgeschichte.net (German).
- Reconstruction drawing by Wolfgang Braun.