Achalm Castle is a ruined castle located above the towns of

Reutlingen Reutlingen (; ) is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous Reutlingen (district), district of Reutlingen. As of June 2018, it had an estimated population of 116,456. Reutlingen has a Reutlingen University, univ ...

and

Pfullingen Pfullingen (; ) is a town in the Reutlingen (district), district of Reutlingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 3 km southeast of Reutlingen at the foot of the Swabian Jura, Swabian ''Alb''. With its almost 20,000 inhabitants it ...

in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Situated on the top of a hill at the edge of the

Swabian Alb The Swabian Jura ( , more rarely ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending from southwest to northeast and in width. It is named after the region of Swabia. It is part of th ...

the ruins of the 11th-century castle are topped by a look-out tower from 1838.

History

Achalm Castle was built around 1030 by Gaugraf Egino and Rudolf of Achalm. The name Achalm appears to refer to a nearby stream, the Ach which comes from the River Alm. According to legend, the name of the castle comes from another source. As the castle was under construction two workers began to fight. Egino separated the two and locked one of them in the castle dungeon. The prisoner soon escaped and when he saw Egino, stabbed him. As he lay dying, his last words were ''Ach Alm'' meaning to say ''Ach Allmächtiger'' (English: Oh! Almighty (God)). His brother, thinking he was honoring his last words named the castle Achalm. The castle was expanded in the 11th Century with a second tower. However the ''von Achalm'' family died out shortly thereafter. The castle passed through several owners including the

House of Welf The House of Welf (also Guelf or Guelph) is a European dynasty that has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th to 20th century and Emperor Ivan VI of Russia in the 18th century. The originally Franconian family from the Meuse-Mo ...

. In 1234 the son of the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

Frederick II,

King Henry VII Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509), also known as Henry Tudor, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henry ...

, rebelled against his father, the Emperor. The owner of Castle Achalm, Heinrich of

Neuffen Neuffen () is a town in the district of Esslingen, in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Geography It is located 14 km northeast of Reutlingen, and 28 km southeast of Stuttgart. Its major attraction is a quite impressive castle w ...

, sided with the rebellious King Henry VII. Following the Emperor's victory over his son Henry VII, Castle Achalm became the personal property of the Emperor's family, the

House of Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty ...

. Castle Achalm remained a Hohenstaufen property for a time. The castle then passed into the control of the

House of Württemberg The House of Württemberg is an uradel, ancient German nobility, German dynasty and former royal family of the Kingdom of Württemberg. History County The House probably originated in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty. Around 1080 the ancestors ...

. In 1377

Graf (; feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility and later also of the Russian nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title ...

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Ulrich of Württemberg marched from the castle to attack the town of Reutlingen. While he besieged the city, troops from the Swabian Cities League marched to defend the city. Ulrich's troops were defeated and Reutlingen remained a Free Imperial City. Over the following centuries, the castle began to lose its military value and began to collapse. During the later years of the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, in 1650, the castle was partially destroyed to prevent enemy forces from using the castle for shelter. Later the stones were removed to build houses in the village. In 1822 the future king and emperor

William I William I may refer to: Kings * William the Conqueror (–1087), also known as William I, King of England * William I of Sicily (died 1166) * William I of Scotland (died 1214), known as William the Lion * William I of the Netherlands and Luxembour ...

had a stone look-out tower built on the foundation of the old tower. The tower was repaired and renovated in 1932 to prevent it from collapsing.

References

Sources

* Eberhard Fritz (2006), ''Das Hofgut Achalm im Besitz des Hauses Württemberg'': Reutlinger Geschichtsblätter, Volume 45, Pages 139–172

External links

Information and pictures of Achalm

{{Authority control Ruined castles in Germany Hill castles

History

See also

References

Sources

External links