Freiburg Castle
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Freiburg Castle is a vanished castle. When it existed it was usually called the ''Burghaldenschloss'' (''
motte-and-bailey castle A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...
''). Only earthworks exist today.


Location

It stood on the Schlossberg (castle hill) above the city of Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg. The location was at 376.3 m (1,235 ft) above sea level around an elevation which today is called Ludwigshöhe. Beneath the Ludwigshöhe
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
stone mosaics were found in 1819. The
remains Remains or The Remains may refer to: Music *The Remains (band), a 1960s American rock band *The Ramainz, originally The Remains, a Ramones tribute band Albums * ''Remains'' (Alkaline Trio album), 2007 * ''Remains'' (Annihilator album), 1997 * ' ...
of a Roman villa or fortress suggest that the mountain must already have been of strategic importance during the time of the Roman settlement of the
Rhine Valley Rhine Valley (German: ''Rheintal'' ) is the valley, or any section of it, of the river Rhine in Europe. Particular valleys of the Rhine or any of its sections: * Alpine Rhine Valley ** Chur Rhine Valley (or Grisonian Rhine Valley; , or sometimes ...
.


History


House of Zähringen The House of Zähringen () was a dynasty of Duchy of Swabia, Swabian nobility. The family's name derived from Zähringen Castle near Freiburg im Breisgau. The Zähringer in the 12th century used the title of Duke of Zähringen, in compensation fo ...

Already in 1091 the duke Berthold II of Zähringen ordered the construction of the Castrum de Friburch on the
Schlossberg Schlossberg or Schloßberg (German for ''Castle Mountain''; usually a hill or mountain with a "castle" on it) may refer to: Places *Schlossberg (Bavaria), a part of the municipality of Stephanskirchen in Bavaria, Germany *Schloßberg (Bopfingen), a ...
(castle hill) of Freiburg in beautiful
Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...
. This castle was praised later by the poet
Hartmann von Aue Hartmann von Aue, also known as Hartmann von Ouwe, (born ''c.'' 1160–70, died ''c.'' 1210–20) was a German knight and poet. With his works including '' Erec'', '' Iwein'', '' Gregorius'', and '' Der arme Heinrich'', he introduced the Arthu ...
. The Duke's servants and craftsmen lived at the foot of the mountain in the area of what today is the southern part of the historic center, but it was only in 1120 when his son
Konrad Konrad is a German (English equivalent: Conrad or Coonrod) given name and surname that means "bold counselor" and may refer to: People Given name Surname * Alexander Konrad (1890–1940), Russian explorer *Antoine Konrad (born 1975), birth nam ...
, with the approval of emperor Henry IV, granted the settlement market rights, thus ending the startup phase of Freiburg. The existence of the castle is proved at least since 1146 when
Bernhard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist. (; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templar, and a major leader in the reform of the Benedictines through the nascent Cistercian Order. Bernard was s ...
described in his travel diaries how he healed a blind boy apud castrum Frieburg (at the fort Freiburg). To distinguish it from Zähringen castle above the village of the same name north of Freiburg this castle was called the ''Burghaldenschloss'' (''
motte-and-bailey castle A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...
''). Throughout history, fires and acts of war on several occasions destroyed the fortified buildings on castle hill, but the castle was rebuilt various times by the respective rulers because of its strategic importance for the protection of Freiburg and to control the access to the
Black Forest The Black Forest ( ) is a large forested mountain range in the States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is th ...
and the
Dreisam The Dreisam (Celtic: ''*tragisamā'', "the very fast one") is a 29 km long river (48.8 km including its source river Rotbach), and a tributary of the Elz in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The waters of the Dreisam feed the fam ...
valley.


Counts of Freiburg The Counts of Freiburg were the descendants of Count Egino of Urach (d. 1236/7). They ruled over the city of Freiburg and the Breisgau (within the Margraviate of Baden) between approximately 1245 and 1368. History The Margraviate of Baden ha ...

After the end of the Zähringer in 1218 the dominion of the city Freiburg went over to the counts of Urach who from then on called themselves
counts of Freiburg The Counts of Freiburg were the descendants of Count Egino of Urach (d. 1236/7). They ruled over the city of Freiburg and the Breisgau (within the Margraviate of Baden) between approximately 1245 and 1368. History The Margraviate of Baden ha ...
and resided in the castle above Freiburg. The relationship between the citizen and their lords was often disturbed by disputes regarding the financial obligations of the city. Twice the citizens of Freiburg occupied the castle. In the war against their ruler count Egino II and his brother-in-law, the
bishop of Strasbourg Archbishops

*Charles Amarin Brand (16 July 1984 – 23 October 1997) (with rank of archbishop from 1988) *Joseph Doré (23 October 1997 – 25 August 2006) *Jean-Pierre Grallet (21 April 2007 – 18 February 2017) *Luc Ravel (18 February 2017 ...
Konrad von Lichtenberg, in 1299 they used
catapult A catapult is a ballistics, ballistic device used to launch a projectile at a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. A catapult uses the sudden rel ...
s against the castle for the purpose of blowing a breach. When Count Egino III. 1366 tried to enter with his legions in the city at night it came to the war in which the citizens of Freiburg devastated with canons the "most beautiful castle in the German lands". Thereupon the relationship between the ruling counts of Freiburg and the city was completely shattered.


House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...

The citizens ransomed themselves from their former rulers, the counts of Freiburg, with a lump-sum payment of 15,000 silver marks and submitted themselves voluntarily to the protection of the
house of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...
in 1368. Generously the new ruler,
Leopold III, Duke of Austria Leopold III (1 November 1351 – 9 July 1386), known as the Just, a member of the House of Habsburg, was Duke of Austria from 1365. As head and progenitor of the Leopoldian line, he ruled over the Inner Austrian duchies of Carinthia, Styria a ...
, handed the ruins of the castle over to the Freiburgers. The city repaired the fortifications just provisionally so that the castle could be taken easily by the enemy in the
German Peasants' War The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt () was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It was Europe's largest and most widespread popular uprising befor ...
in 1525 as well as in 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 ...
.


Leopoldsburg (Leopold's castle)

Later emperor Leopold I built a mountain fortification including the motte-and-bailey castle in 1668, the "Leopoldsburg", as a bulwark in defense of the threat to the Breisgau imposed by
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
of France.


Dutch War

Nevertheless, already in 1677 during the Dutch War, the French conquered city and fortress. When in 1679 following the
treaties of Nijmegen The Treaties or Peace of Nijmegen (; ; ) were a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Nijmegen between August 1678 and October 1679. The treaties ended various interconnected wars among France, the Dutch Republic, Spain, Brandenburg, Sw ...
the Habsburgers had to cede Freiburg to the crown of France the Schlossberg experienced its greatest changes.


Vauban's fortification

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
instructed his military engineer
Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban Sébastien is a common French given name. It is a French form of the Latin name ''Sebastianus'' meaning "from Sebaste". Sebaste was a common placename in classical Antiquity, derived from the Greek word ''σεβαστος'', or ''sebastos'', mea ...
to fortify the city of Freiburg including the Schlossberg with the ''Vieux Châteaux'' (French for: "old castle") in accordance with modern requirements and standards as a French outpost in
Further Austria Further Austria, Outer Austria or Anterior Austria (; , formerly ''die Vorlande'' (pl.)) was the collective name for the early (and later) possessions of the House of Habsburg in the former Swabian stem duchy of south-western Germany, includin ...
and had it surrounded with a fortress ring along the slope. In 1681, the king himself came to Freiburg with a large entourage to inspect the construction works and also visited the castle.


War of the Palatine Succession The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between France and the Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial possessions in the Americas, India, and West Africa. Relat ...

After the
war of the Palatine Succession The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between France and the Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial possessions in the Americas, India, and West Africa. Relat ...
, in the
treaty of Ryswick The Peace of Ryswick, or Rijswijk, was a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Rijswijk between 20 September and 30 October 1697. They ended the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance, which included the Dutc ...
in 1697, Louis XIV had to give up Freiburg. This negative result for the crown of France was glossed over in a French memorandum as follows: ''The King has given up some places which were not useful for him... Freiburg was not useful enough for the king to perceive its return as a loss, it has returned to be in the bosom of the empire and the care of the emperor, who is also its prince''.


War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

In the
War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...
, the fortress occupied with a strong Austrian garrison was beleaguered and taken again by French troops under Marshal Louis Hector de Villars. In
Rastatt Rastatt () is a town with a Baroque core, District of Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain on the Murg river, above its junction with the Rhine and has a population of around 51,000 (2022). Rastatt was an ...
the return of the fortress to Germany was agreed upon, which happened in 1715.


War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

Afterwards again war broke out, that time the
war of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...
. In autumn 1744, the French again occupied Freiburg as allies of
Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...
,
king of Prussia The monarchs of Prussia were members of the House of Hohenzollern who were the hereditary rulers of the former German state of Prussia from its founding in 1525 as the Duchy of Prussia. The Duchy had evolved out of the Teutonic Order, a Roman C ...
.
Louis XV of France Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...
observed personally from the Lorettoberg the progress made in the siege of the city and was nearly hit by a stray cannonball of the defenders. One year later, in the
treaty of Dresden The Treaty of Dresden was signed on 25 December 1745 at the Saxon capital of Dresden between Austria, Saxony and Prussia, ending the Second Silesian War. In the 1742 Treaty of Breslau, Maria Theresa of Austria, struggling for the succession af ...
, Freiburg was returned to the Habsburgers. However, before the French left the city they destroyed Vauban's fortifications practically completely so that of the former castle (whose main component was a
donjon 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 residenc ...
shown on illustrations) only a debris cone and the
neck ditch A neck ditch (), sometimes called a throat ditch,
at www.roadstoruins.com. Accessed on 3 Jan 2012. is a dry
national library A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public library, public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, ...
of
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...


Today

File:Freiburg vom Wasserschloss.jpg, Schlossberg on the right. File:Freiburg im Breisgau Blick vom Schlossberg 8.jpg, View from the Schlossberg. File:Panorama Ludwigshöhe Schlossberg Freiburg Breisgau.jpg, Ludwigshöhe (to its left the
neck ditch A neck ditch (), sometimes called a throat ditch,
at www.roadstoruins.com. Accessed on 3 Jan 2012. is a dry
Schlossberg tower, built 2002. File:Eingang Schutzraum Schlossberg Freiburg.jpg, Entrance to the shelter at the bottom of the Schlossberg. File:Weinlage Freiburger Schlossberg.jpg, Vineyard on the slope of the Schlossberg,


Further reading

* Arthur Hauptmann: ''Burgen einst und jetzt. Burgen und Burgruinen in Südbaden und angrenzenden Gebieten'' (''Castles then and now. Castles and castle ruins in South Baden and adjacent areas''). Publisher:
Südkurier The ''Südkurier'' is a regional daily newspaper in Germany serving the regions northwest of Lake Constance, Hochrhein and Black Forest with its headquarters in Konstanz. The paper appears with a circulation of around 130,000, six times per we ...
, Constance 1987. * Hans Schadeck: ''Burg und Stadtbefestigung von Freiburg bis zum Ende des 16. Jahrhunderts in Stadt und Festung Freiburg'' (''Castle and fortifications of Freiburg until the end of the 16th century in the town and fortress of Freiburg''), Publisher: Stadtarchiv Freiburg im Breisgau, 1988


References

1.↑ Hans Schadeck,''Burg und Stadtbefestigung von Freiburg bis zum Ende des 16. Jahrhunderts'' (''Castle and fortifications of Freiburg until the end of the 16th century''), page 9, in Stadt und Festung Freiburg, published by Stadtarchiv Freiburg im Breisgau, 1988 2.↑ Hermann Kopf, ''Unter der Krone Frankreichs'', (''Under the crown of France'') ''Freiburg im Breisgau 1677-1697'', Schauinsland 88, 23 1970 {{Authority control