684:
655:
644:
791:
55:
900:
353:
250:
39:
62:
571:
was sold on 24 November 1621 by its heirs to the
Bishopric of Bamberg. In the deed of sale it was shown, however, as owned by free nobility, which was not the case for an episcopal fiefdom. Also, the castle was not mentioned.
500:
The
Wichsensteins ran into financial difficulties, probably as a result of the economic boom of the towns during the 13th and 14th centuries and the great agricultural crisis of the second half of the 14th century, and became
579:), Franz Karl Freiherr von Münster, made the summit of the rock on which the castle stood, accessible. In 1876 large remnants of the ruins remained visible. In 1879 the state construction office in Bayreuth said that
548:, in 1476 other parts of the castle belonged to the Wichsenstein line of Bieberbach and another line, whose estate was however still a freehold. In 1484, another line of Wichsensteins was enfeoffed with the
552:
castle at
Hainstatt by the Bishop of Würzburg. After 1507, all enfeoffment of the castle ceased. A mid-16th-century map shows the castle as a ruin; it was probably finally destroyed in 1525 during the
505:. George of Wichsenstein was at that time in the service of the brothers Henry and Eberhard of Berg, who had also become robber barons, and was taken prisoner in 1397 by King Wenceslaus following the
537:
that, if rebuilt, had to become an open house of the bishopric. In 1436 it reappeared as
Schloss Wichsenstein. It was thus rebuilt within four years, but the extent of the destruction is unknown.
770:
199:
485:
and in return had to "guard" the castle for ten years, i.e. fight on the side of the bishop in case of war with his part of the castle and his contingent of troops. In 1328 Bishop
763:
517:. After he had betrayed several robber barons by name, he was executed in Nuremberg. In 1421 Hans II, Kunz IV, Fritz II and Hermann III of Wichsenstein engaged in a
590:
1070:
756:
586:
Today there are no traces of the castle left. Its site, which is open to the public, is a viewing rock and may be ascended from
Wichsenstein on 207 steps.
341:
80:
422:
When and by whom the castle was founded is not exactly known, but in 1118 a "Wikker" was mentioned in the records. It is possible that the father of
301:
on the northern edge of the village of
Wichsenstein, about 20 metres above the village and about 60 metres north-northwest of the Roman Catholic
529:
merchants convoy and captured several people, whereupon the castle of
Wichsenstein was destroyed because of its role in the robberies by Bishop
790:
925:
54:
477:
The first record of
Wichsenstein Castle was not, however, until 30 October 1310, when Conrad I of Wichsenstein received 60 pounds of
336:
and an eponymous castle site near
Oberzaunsbach on the Zaunsbacher Berg. To the west is the site of Sattelmannsburg on the Hetzelfels and
545:
450:. Kunstmann was able to ascertain the reason for the change of name was that the home castle of the Wichsensteins, the little castle of
848:
1192:
722:
707:
563:) of Wichsenstein testifies. After the family line was extinguished on the death of George of Wichsenstein zu Kirchschönbach (near
1317:
963:
1065:
863:
1363:
1207:
1202:
446:
or "of the rock". In 1133 the brothers, Eberhard and Wikker de Lapide, were named as joint witnesses in a manuscript from
1305:
1197:
329:
325:
1348:
884:
1368:
817:
1311:
899:
838:
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who decreed that it could not be rebuilt without his permission. In 1432 the ruins were recorded as an episcopal
1259:
958:
377:
1222:
1151:
502:
431:
317:
1284:
1264:
1244:
1032:
458:, had to be given up for unknown reasons and they had to build a new castle of their own. In 1165 as well an
368:
scholar, Hellmut
Kunstmann, has ascertained that castles with the combination of a personal name and the word
1212:
991:
1294:
1187:
874:
869:
635:
Walter Heinz: Ehemalige Adelssitze im Trubachtal – Ein Wegweiser für Heimatfreunde und Wanderer, pp. 191-194
617:
Walter Heinz: Ehemalige Adelssitze im Trubachtal – Ein Wegweiser für Heimatfreunde und Wanderer, pp. 186-190
553:
451:
486:
482:
1300:
1249:
1048:
1003:
581:"apart from rocks there were still wall remains in the surrounding lower levels and in the private forest"
493:
to him. For that he had to concede right of the bishop to buy it back; after that the castle was always a
385:
273:
1274:
889:
833:
827:
1358:
1353:
1254:
1217:
1163:
1119:
997:
811:
530:
1279:
1269:
1157:
1053:
1026:
858:
822:
1289:
1227:
1322:
1238:
1124:
1109:
969:
843:
780:
381:
1169:
467:
1145:
953:
227:
1020:
732:. 2nd edition, Kommissionsverlag Degener & Co., Neustadt an der Aisch, 1990, pp. 244–248.
333:
1129:
1086:
980:
943:
879:
470:. In 1240 Eberhard III was likewise named as a witness in a document by Frederick III Walpot for
416:
393:
914:
25:
743:
656:
Thüngfelderstein Castle on the web pages of the Bavarian State Office for Monument Conservation
1327:
1043:
1038:
1014:
1009:
937:
919:
718:
703:
408:
321:
975:
948:
853:
806:
412:
389:
365:
281:
1114:
931:
549:
352:
277:
249:
223:
203:
38:
489:
gave Boppo of Wichsenstein a further hundred pounds of Haller for the part of the castle
626:
Führer zu archäologischen Denkmälern in Deutschland, Vol. 20: Fränkische Schweiz, p. 157
559:
In 1609, large parts of the ruins still survived as a document about the riding estate (
986:
494:
455:
360:
The name of Wichsenstein Castle derives from the personal name "Wikker" and the suffix
269:
1342:
748:
645:
Sattelmannsburg on the web pages of the Bavarian State Office for Monument Protection
564:
525:. That same year John of Wichsenstein and Michael of Streitberg raided and sacked a
478:
447:
427:
302:
243:
185:
438:
bore a blue wolf salient on a silver field. Eberhard was named in 1121 and later as
43:
Site of Wichsenstein Castle – view of the castle rock above the village (March 2011)
510:
435:
400:
306:
219:
29:
1233:
685:
Burgstall Wichsenstein auf der Seite des Bayerischen Landesamtes für Denkmalpflege
700:
Ehemalige Adelssitze im Trubachtal – Ein Wegweiser für Heimatfreunde und Wanderer
1104:
514:
426:(recorded 1122) had built the castle shortly beforehand. The Wichsensteins were
211:
115:
666:
On the subject of castle names see Hellmut Kunstmann, Mensch und Burg, pp. 18ff
471:
297:
136:
411:
via Wichsenstein to Biberach, Waidach and Stein bei Pegnitz, continuing into
95:
82:
490:
404:
373:
310:
264:
239:
153:
316:
In the vicinity are other old mediaeval castles. In the nearby village of
675:
Hellmut Kunstmann: Die Burgen der südwestlichen Fränkischen Schweiz, p. 2
242:
and there are no visible remains. The castle rock is now just used as a
797:
593:
as a "mediaeval castle site", bears the monument number D-4-6233-0095.
526:
466:, in 1201 Wikker II de Steine was a witness in a deed by Prince Bishop
235:
231:
328:
on the Heidelberg above Äpfelbach. South of that lies the site of the
540:
In the years that followed, parts of the castle became a fief of the
506:
351:
286:
248:
388:
near Michelfeld, which is recorded in the foundation document of
534:
518:
752:
399:
The purpose of Wichsenstein Castle could have been to guard an
214:, once owned by noblemen, on a steep and prominent rock reef (
454:, today just a castle site in the village of Stein south of
608:
Topographic map, 1:25,000 series, Sheet 6233, Ebermannstadt
324:, to the southwest is the prehistorical and early ancient
364:
or "Rock"; it was thus the castle of the Wikker family.
717:, 2nd edition, Palm und Enke Verlag, Erlangen, 1991,
396:, which was probably founded between 1057 and 1070.
1178:
1138:
1095:
1079:
907:
814: (Steinhaus, Großhaus, Nuremberg Pflegschloss)
796:
179:
174:
166:
161:
148:
143:
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111:
74:
18:
589:The protected monument, which is described by the
356:View of the castle rock from the east (March 2011)
702:. Palm und Enke Verlag, Erlangen und Jena, 1996,
276:, part of the German Central Upland range of the
730:Die Burgen der südwestlichen Fränkischen Schweiz
1241: (Rüsselbach Castle, Burg auf der Katze)
764:
715:Eine Burgenreise durch die Fränkische Schweiz
591:Bavarian State Office for Monument Protection
8:
61:
771:
757:
749:
15:
601:
309:. and about 15 kilometres northeast of
521:with the Bishopric of Bamberg and the
218:) outcrop above the church village of
7:
481:(coins) from the Bishop of Bamberg,
380:, which is first recorded in 1076,
376:region are very old. Examples are
253:View of Wichsenstein from the west
14:
238:. The castle has been completely
898:
789:
332:on the Altschlossberg hill near
60:
53:
37:
462:was appointed as an episcopal
1:
1203:Altes Schloss (Oberzaunsbach)
839:Neues Schloss (Hiltpoltstein)
1314: (Eberhardstein Castle)
1198:Altes Schloss (Affalterthal)
280:. It is located on top of a
272:lies in the central part of
713:Gustav Voit, Walter Rüfer:
296:587 m above
135:587 m above
1385:
1230: (Leutenbach Castle?)
1208:Altes Schloss (Drügendorf)
742:Burgstall Wichsenstein at
523:Imperial City of Nuremberg
908:Castles and castle ruins:
896:
787:
779:Castles in the county of
424:Eberhard von Wikkeristein
290:, the Wichsenstein Rock (
48:
36:
23:
294:), at a height of about
1181:(castle/hillfort sites)
567:) in November 1606 the
338:Thüngfelderstein Castle
157:(no above-ground ruins)
96:49.738080°N 11.267638°E
1297: (Stadtmers Bürg)
497:of the Wichsensteins.
357:
274:Franconian Switzerland
254:
208:Burgstall Wichsenstein
207:
972: (Altes Schloss)
483:Wulfing of Stubenberg
460:Eberhard II de Steine
355:
252:
1364:Forchheim (district)
432:Bishopric of Bamberg
386:Gernotenstein Castle
382:Hiltpoltstein Castle
175:Garrison information
170:probably around 1100
101:49.738080; 11.267638
1308: (Heidenstein)
885:Wolfsberger Schloss
728:Hellmut Kunstmann:
725:, pp. 217–220.
710:, pp. 244–257.
575:In 1828 the canon (
378:Gößweinstein Castle
320:are the remains of
292:Wichsensteiner Fels
195:Wichsenstein Castle
92: /
19:Wichsenstein Castle
1349:Castles in Bavaria
1306:Schlossberg Castle
1087:Forchheim Fortress
531:Albert of Wertheim
440:Eberhard de Lapide
394:Pottenstein Castle
358:
342:Wolkenstein Castle
255:
1336:
1335:
1193:Alter Schlossberg
322:Bieberbach Castle
192:
191:
118:, summit location
1376:
1312:Thüngfelderstein
1290:Retterner Kanzel
1166: (levelled)
1160: (levelled)
1154: (levelled)
1148: (levelled)
1062: (levelled)
1056: (levelled)
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1000: (levelled)
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992:Niederfellendorf
983: (levelled)
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940: (levelled)
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928: (levelled)
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224:Upper Franconian
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1120:Niedermirsberg
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1098:(all levelled)
1096:Motte castles:
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1033:Schlüsselstein
1030:
1024:
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442:, which means
403:that ran from
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270:hilltop castle
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723:3-7896-0064-4
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554:Peasants' War
551:
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542:ministerialis
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503:robber barons
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448:Ensdorf Abbey
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428:ministeriales
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1369:Gößweinstein
1359:Rock castles
1354:Hill castles
1164:Walkersbrunn
1060:Wichsenstein
1059:
959:Gößweinstein
954:Gaillenreuth
864:Schellenberg
844:Hundshaupten
729:
714:
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671:
662:
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640:
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577:Domkapitular
576:
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560:
558:
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511:Spies Castle
499:
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459:
443:
439:
436:coat of arms
423:
421:
401:ancient road
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369:
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334:Affalterthal
315:
307:Saint Erhard
291:
285:
263:
262:The site or
261:
220:Wichsenstein
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184:
162:Site history
152:
30:Wichsenstein
26:Gößweinstein
1255:Hetzelsdorf
1218:Breitensten
1179:Burgställe:
1158:Hammermühle
1080:Fortresses:
1071:Wolkenstein
998:Obertrubach
981:Moschendorf
944:Egloffstein
890:Wüstenstein
834:Heroldsbach
828:Hallerndorf
515:Betzenstein
212:hill castle
116:hill castle
99: /
75:Coordinates
1343:Categories
1328:Wartleiten
1301:Schießberg
1280:Lindelburg
1275:Lindelberg
1270:Leutenbach
1260:Hunnenberg
1245:Heidelberg
1125:Rüssenbach
1054:Vestenberg
1044:Thuisbrunn
1039:Streitburg
1027:Rothenbühl
1015:Reifenberg
1010:Regensberg
964:Gräfenberg
920:Bieberbach
880:Wiesenthau
849:Jägersburg
818:Guttenburg
812:Gräfenberg
693:Literature
597:References
546:Rabenstein
544:, Jörg of
472:Banz Abbey
374:Franconian
318:Bieberbach
284:and rocky
240:demolished
226:county of
87:11°16′03″E
84:49°44′17″N
1234:Ehrenbürg
1228:Burgstein
1188:Altenburg
1152:Steinhaus
1066:Wolfsberg
976:Kohlstein
949:Forchheim
859:Pretzfeld
823:Hagenbach
798:Schlösser
781:Forchheim
569:Rittergut
561:Rittergut
491:enfeoffed
444:von Stein
405:Pretzfeld
311:Forchheim
265:burgstall
228:Forchheim
200:‹See Tfd›
180:Occupants
154:burgstall
149:Condition
1285:Reisberg
1265:Lehmberg
1239:Hainburg
1223:Burggraf
1170:Wannbach
1115:Kersbach
932:Dietzhof
915:Bärnfels
854:Kunreuth
807:Ermreuth
495:freehold
487:Henry II
434:, whose
409:Wannbach
384:(1109),
326:hillfort
268:of this
258:Location
216:Felsriff
210:) was a
183:Bamberg
1213:Borschl
1146:Dormitz
987:Neideck
938:Dörnhof
527:Leipzig
456:Pegnitz
430:of the
417:Bohemia
372:in the
348:History
236:Germany
232:Bavaria
222:in the
721:
706:
479:Haller
204:German
131:Height
1021:Reuth
870:Thurn
513:near
507:siege
452:Stein
370:Stein
362:Stein
287:kuppe
167:Built
126:DE-BY
1130:Wöhr
1105:Burk
719:ISBN
704:ISBN
535:fief
519:feud
468:Timo
415:and
407:and
340:and
123:Code
112:Type
509:of
305:of
230:in
1345::
583:.
556:.
474:.
419:.
344:.
313:.
246:.
234:,
206::
800::
772:e
765:t
758:v
197:(
28:-
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