Kyffhäuser
Encyclopedia
The Kyffhäuser (ˈkɪfˌhɔʏzɐ) is a range of hills located on the border of the German
state of Thuringia
with Saxony-Anhalt
. It stands on the southern edge of the Harz
. The range has a length of 19 kilometres (11.8 mi) and a width of 7 kilometres (4.3 mi). It reaches its highest point at the Kulpenberg
(473.4 metres (1,553.1 ft)), situated in Thuringia. The Kyffhäuser has significance in German traditional mythology
as the resting place of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa
, who drowned on June 10, 1190 in the Göksu
River near Silifke
during the Third Crusade
.
The name Kyffhäuser probably stems from cuffese meaning head or peak. The settlement of Tilleda
at the northern rim was already mentioned at the beginning of the 9th century in the Breviarium Lulli
as Dullide, an estate of Hersfeld Abbey
. A Kaiserpfalz
at Tilleda
is attested by the 972 marriage certificate of Empress Theophanu
. A first castle on the hill above the settlement may have been erected by Emperor Henry IV
during his conflict with the Saxons
. His son Henry V
inherited the quarrels and the castle was finally slighted by the Saxon Duke (and later Emperor) Lothair of Supplinburg
in 1119. Lothair himself started the reconstruction in his later years and the Reichsburg Kyffhausen was completed under Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.
According to legend, Barbarossa is not in fact dead, but sleeps in a hidden chamber underneath the Kyffhäuser hills, sitting at a stone table. His beard has supposedly grown so long over the centuries that it grew through the table. As in the similar legend of King Arthur
, Barbarossa supposedly awaits his country's hour of greatest need, when he will emerge once again from under the hill. The presence of raven
s circling the Kyffhäuser summit is said to be a sign of Barbarossa's continuing presence.
Today, the hills are a tourist site featuring a restored medieval castle from the 11th century. Atop the mountain is the Kyffhäuser Monument
, built in 1896, which depicts German Emperor William I
and Frederick Barbarossa.
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...
state of Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
with Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
. It stands on the southern edge of the Harz
Harz
The Harz is the highest mountain range in northern Germany and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart , latinized as Hercynia. The legendary Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz...
. The range has a length of 19 kilometres (11.8 mi) and a width of 7 kilometres (4.3 mi). It reaches its highest point at the Kulpenberg
Kulpenberg
The Kulpenberg is a 477 metre high mountain in the Kyffhäuser mountains, Thuringia, Germany. On it is the Fernsehturm Kulpenberg, a 94-metre-high telecommunication tower. Built of reinforced concrete between 1959 and 1964, it has an observation deck and a restaurant at a height of 76 metres...
(473.4 metres (1,553.1 ft)), situated in Thuringia. The Kyffhäuser has significance in German traditional mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
as the resting place of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
, who drowned on June 10, 1190 in the Göksu
Göksu
The Göksu is a river in Taşeli Peninsula . Both its sources arise in the Taurus Mountains—the northern in the Geyik Mountains and the southern in the Haydar Mountains...
River near Silifke
Silifke
-Antiquity:Located a few miles from the mouth of the Calycadnus River, Seleucia was founded by Seleucus I Nicator in the early 3rd century BCE, one of several cities he named after himself. It is probable that there were already towns called Olbia and Hyria and that Seleucus I merely united them...
during the Third Crusade
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
.
The name Kyffhäuser probably stems from cuffese meaning head or peak. The settlement of Tilleda
Tilleda
Tilleda is a village and a former municipality in the Mansfeld-Südharz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2009, it is part of the town Kelbra. Tilleda is located at the northern rim of the Kyffhäuser mountain range with the Kyffhäuser Monument.The settlement was first...
at the northern rim was already mentioned at the beginning of the 9th century in the Breviarium Lulli
Lullus
Saint Lullus was the first permanent archbishop of Mainz, succeeding Saint Boniface, and first abbot of the Benedictine Hersfeld Abbey.-Monk to archbishop:...
as Dullide, an estate of Hersfeld Abbey
Hersfeld Abbey
Hersfeld Abbey was an important Benedictine imperial abbey in the town of Bad Hersfeld in Hesse , Germany, at the confluence of the rivers Geisa, Haune and Fulda.-History:...
. A Kaiserpfalz
Kaiserpfalz
The term Kaiserpfalz or Königspfalz refers to a number of castles across the Holy Roman Empire which served as temporary, secondary seats of power for the Holy Roman Emperor in the Early and High Middle Ages...
at Tilleda
Tilleda
Tilleda is a village and a former municipality in the Mansfeld-Südharz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2009, it is part of the town Kelbra. Tilleda is located at the northern rim of the Kyffhäuser mountain range with the Kyffhäuser Monument.The settlement was first...
is attested by the 972 marriage certificate of Empress Theophanu
Theophanu
Theophanu , also spelled Theophania, Theophana or Theophano, was born in Constantinople, and was the wife of Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor.-Family:...
. A first castle on the hill above the settlement may have been erected by Emperor Henry IV
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry IV was King of the Romans from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...
during his conflict with the Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
. His son Henry V
Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry V was King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor , the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. Henry's reign coincided with the final phase of the great Investiture Controversy, which had pitted pope against emperor...
inherited the quarrels and the castle was finally slighted by the Saxon Duke (and later Emperor) Lothair of Supplinburg
Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor
Lothair III of Supplinburg , was Duke of Saxony , King of Germany , and Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 to 1137. The son of Count Gebhard of Supplinburg, his reign was troubled by the constant intriguing of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia and Duke Conrad of Franconia...
in 1119. Lothair himself started the reconstruction in his later years and the Reichsburg Kyffhausen was completed under Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.
According to legend, Barbarossa is not in fact dead, but sleeps in a hidden chamber underneath the Kyffhäuser hills, sitting at a stone table. His beard has supposedly grown so long over the centuries that it grew through the table. As in the similar legend of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
, Barbarossa supposedly awaits his country's hour of greatest need, when he will emerge once again from under the hill. The presence of raven
Raven
Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
s circling the Kyffhäuser summit is said to be a sign of Barbarossa's continuing presence.
Today, the hills are a tourist site featuring a restored medieval castle from the 11th century. Atop the mountain is the Kyffhäuser Monument
Kyffhäuser Monument
The Kyffhäuser Monument , also known as the Barbarossa Monument or the Kaiser Wilhelm Monument , is a monument on the summit of the Kyffhäuser Mountain near Bad Frankenhausen in the state of Thuringia in central Germany.The monument, which totals 81 metres tall, was built in...
, built in 1896, which depicts German Emperor William I
William I, German Emperor
William I, also known as Wilhelm I , of the House of Hohenzollern was the King of Prussia and the first German Emperor .Under the leadership of William and his Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, Prussia achieved the unification of Germany and the...
and Frederick Barbarossa.
Source
- Sven Frotscher: Der Kyffhäuser - Natur, Geschichte, Architektur, Denkmale Europas. Artern 1996, ISBN 3-00-000509-9