Regenstein Castle
Encyclopedia
Regenstein Castle is a ruined castle
that lies three kilometres north of Blankenburg in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt
. It is a popular tourist destination where, each year, a knight's tournament and a garrison festival are held.
Of this once relatively impregnable castle
, which was built in the early and high Middle Ages on a 294 metre high sandstone rock towering over the surrounding area, only ruins are visible today. Several internal rooms, carved into the rock, have survived, as have the ruins of the keep
. The castle is surrounded by remnants of a more recent fortress.
Regenstein Castle is No. 80 in the system of checkpoints on the Harzer Wandernadel
hiking trail network.
from the House of Reginbodonen). The castle became renowned mainly through Count Albert II of Regenstein (1310-1349) who, in the 1330s, had frequent disputes with the rulers of the surrounding towns, the Bishop of Halberstadt and the Abbess of Quedlinburg. This has been romantically recounted in the ballad, Der Raubgraf ("The Robber Count"), by Gottfried August Bürger
(music by Johann Philipp Kirnberger) and the novel by Julius Wolff
(Der Raubgraf).
In the 15th century, the Regenstein counts moved to Blankenburg Castle. Regenstein fell into disrepair and became a ruin. The last male descendant of the noble family, Count John Ernest of Regenstein in 1599.
In 1643 after several changes of ownership Regenstein, which was sometimes written as Rheinstein or Reinstein, was enfeoffed by Archduke Leopold William of Austria in his capacity as Bishop of Halberstadt to the Lower Bavaria
n count, William of Tattenbach. From then on members of this noble family went under the title of "Count of Reinstein-Tattenbach". In 1671 John Erasmus, Count of Reinstein-Tattenbach was beheaded in Austria for being party to the magnate conspiracy
, following which Prince-Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg confiscated the county.
ns, who were the last users of its military function. The original castle occupies only a small part of the greater fortification. In 1677 the fort became a garrison. The length of its outer perimeter was extended in 1742 to 1,200 metres. Even under the French, to whom the fortress had to be handed over on 12 September 1757, it was extended structurally. The Prussians captured it five months later (12 February 1758) and rendered the position unusable. The powder magazine, which was located near the top was blown up. Of the fortress only the casemate
, those facilities carved out of the rock and the (now restored) gateway remain. A characteristic of the fortress is the large number of cavernous rooms in the natural rock (one now houses an exhibition of archaeological finds from the castle site). Even the stables were hewn out of the rock. After 1758, the pastures and forests of the Regenstein went to the Prussian Amt of Westerhausen
. From 1815 to 1945, following the reign of Westphalia (1807-1813, Canton Halberstadt Land), Regenstein became the smallest Prussian exclave and belonged to the district of Halberstadt. Today it is part of the town of Blankenburg.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
visited the Regenstein on 11 September 1784 together with the artist, Georg Melchior Kraus
, on his third trip to the Harz (8 August to 14 September 1784) to conduct geological studies (two drawings and a rock sample from Goethe's collection of rocks recall that visit). The first restaurant was opened in 1812, thus beginning the rock's role as a tourist attraction.
51°48′55"N 10°57′35"E
Ruined Castle
The Ruined Castle is a famous rock formation in the Jamison Valley area of the Blue Mountains, in New South Wales, Australia. It is reached by a track which begins at the Golden Stairs, near Katoomba, and heads south-east towards the lower slopes of Mount Solitary. Nearby is the sealed opening of...
that lies three kilometres north of Blankenburg in the German state of 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 is a popular tourist destination where, each year, a knight's tournament and a garrison festival are held.
Of this once relatively impregnable castle
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...
, which was built in the early and high Middle Ages on a 294 metre high sandstone rock towering over the surrounding area, only ruins are visible today. Several internal rooms, carved into the rock, have survived, as have the ruins of the 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...
. The castle is surrounded by remnants of a more recent fortress.
Regenstein Castle is No. 80 in the system of checkpoints on the Harzer Wandernadel
Harzer Wandernadel
The Harzer Wandernadel is a network of checkpoints for walkers in the Harz mountains in North Germany. It includes a system whereby the hiker can earn badges at different levels by walking to the various checkpoints in the network and recording them...
hiking trail network.
Castle of the Regenstein counts
in 1162 the Comes de Regenstein (Count of Regenstein), Conrad, was mentioned for the first time. He was the son of Count Poppo I of BlankenburgPoppo I of Blankenburg
Poppo I of Blankenburg probably came from the House of Reginbodonen and was Count of Regenstein-Blankenburg in the Harz in central Germany....
from the House of Reginbodonen). The castle became renowned mainly through Count Albert II of Regenstein (1310-1349) who, in the 1330s, had frequent disputes with the rulers of the surrounding towns, the Bishop of Halberstadt and the Abbess of Quedlinburg. This has been romantically recounted in the ballad, Der Raubgraf ("The Robber Count"), by Gottfried August Bürger
Gottfried August Bürger
Gottfried August Bürger was a German poet. His ballads were very popular in Germany. His most noted ballad, Lenore, found an audience beyond readers of the German language in an English adaptation and a French translation.-Biography:He was born in Molmerswende , Principality of Halberstadt, where...
(music by Johann Philipp Kirnberger) and the novel by Julius Wolff
Julius Wolff
Julius Wolff was a German surgeon.-Biography:Julius Wolff was born on March 21, 1836, and received his doctorate in 1860 in the field of surgery for Bernhard von Langenbeck at the Friedrich-Wilhelms University to Berlin. In 1861 he settled down after the state examination as a general...
(Der Raubgraf).
In the 15th century, the Regenstein counts moved to Blankenburg Castle. Regenstein fell into disrepair and became a ruin. The last male descendant of the noble family, Count John Ernest of Regenstein in 1599.
In 1643 after several changes of ownership Regenstein, which was sometimes written as Rheinstein or Reinstein, was enfeoffed by Archduke Leopold William of Austria in his capacity as Bishop of Halberstadt to the Lower Bavaria
Lower Bavaria
Lower Bavaria is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of the state.- Geography :Lower Bavaria is subdivided into two regions - Landshut and Donau-Wald. Recent election results mark it as the most conservative part of Germany, generally giving huge...
n count, William of Tattenbach. From then on members of this noble family went under the title of "Count of Reinstein-Tattenbach". In 1671 John Erasmus, Count of Reinstein-Tattenbach was beheaded in Austria for being party to the magnate conspiracy
Magnate conspiracy
The Magnate conspiracy, also known as the Zrinski–Frankopan Conspiracy in Croatia, and Wesselényi conspiracy in Hungary, was a 17th century attempt to throw off Habsburg and other foreign influences over Hungary and Croatia. The attempted coup was caused by the unpopular Peace of Vasvár, struck...
, following which Prince-Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg confiscated the county.
Prussian fort
From 1671 the medieval castle was expanded into a fortress by the PrussiaPrussia
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...
ns, who were the last users of its military function. The original castle occupies only a small part of the greater fortification. In 1677 the fort became a garrison. The length of its outer perimeter was extended in 1742 to 1,200 metres. Even under the French, to whom the fortress had to be handed over on 12 September 1757, it was extended structurally. The Prussians captured it five months later (12 February 1758) and rendered the position unusable. The powder magazine, which was located near the top was blown up. Of the fortress only the casemate
Casemate
A casemate, sometimes rendered casement, is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired. originally a vaulted chamber in a fortress.-Origin of the term:...
, those facilities carved out of the rock and the (now restored) gateway remain. A characteristic of the fortress is the large number of cavernous rooms in the natural rock (one now houses an exhibition of archaeological finds from the castle site). Even the stables were hewn out of the rock. After 1758, the pastures and forests of the Regenstein went to the Prussian Amt of Westerhausen
Westerhausen
Westerhausen is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 September 2010, it is part of the town Thale.- Nature conservation :...
. From 1815 to 1945, following the reign of Westphalia (1807-1813, Canton Halberstadt Land), Regenstein became the smallest Prussian exclave and belonged to the district of Halberstadt. Today it is part of the town of Blankenburg.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
visited the Regenstein on 11 September 1784 together with the artist, Georg Melchior Kraus
Georg Melchior Kraus
Georg Melchior Kraus was a German painter. A student of Johann Heinrich Tischbein, he was also a teacher himself , as well as an entrepreneur and friend of Goethe...
, on his third trip to the Harz (8 August to 14 September 1784) to conduct geological studies (two drawings and a rock sample from Goethe's collection of rocks recall that visit). The first restaurant was opened in 1812, thus beginning the rock's role as a tourist attraction.
The legend of the Regenstein
According to legend, once upon a time one of the most beautiful young women in the land was imprisoned in the dungeon of Regenstein Castle, because she had spurned the love of the Count of Regenstein. Using a diamond ring she scratched a hole in the rock, which became so large after a year that she was able to crawl through and escape. After her escape, she returned with her family to the castle, but the count had fled. A little later, she noticed thick smoke gushing from a crack in a rock wall. When she looked through it, she saw the count in purgatory. Then, out of pity, she threw him her ring to him in order to enable the spirit of the count to rest.Sources
- Steinhoff, R. (1883). Der Regenstein, Blankenburg: A. Brüggemann.
- Bürger, K. (1905). Der Regenstein bei Blankenburg/Harz - seine Geschichte und Beschreibung seiner Ruinen, Braunschweig: E. Appelhans
- Wedler, H. and Dülsner, E. (1967). Die Burgruine Regenstein, Leipzig, Jena, Berlin: Urania-Verlag, 7th ed.
- Behrens, Heinz A. (1989). Der Regenstein - Besiedlung und Geschichte der Grafen bis 1500, Blankenburg: Burg- und Festung Regenstein (ed.)
- Behrens, Heinz A. and Reimann, J. (1992). Der Regenstein Baugeschichte und Festungszeit, Blankenburg: Burg- und Festung Regenstein (ed.)
- Woltereck, K. Der Regenstein am Harz - Eine deutsche Trutzburg aus vorgeschichtlichen und geschichtlichen Zeiten, Gernrode: Carl Mittag, o.J.
External links
- Report on the Regenstein at GiBS.info
- Reconstruction drawing by Wolfgang Braun
- Numerous views of Regenstein Castle at historische-orte.de
51°48′55"N 10°57′35"E