Fürsteneck Castle () is a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

, situated in central

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

between

Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the city hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. Histor ...

and

Bad Hersfeld The festival and spa town of Bad Hersfeld (''Bad'' is "spa" in German; the Old High German name of the city was ''Herolfisfeld'') is the district seat of the Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany, roughly 50 km southeast ...

. It belongs to the commune of

Eiterfeld Eiterfeld is a municipality in the district of Fulda, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated in the north of the district, 25 km north of Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the ...

. The castle is at an elevation of 406 metres on a small

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

History

Fürsteneck Castle belonged to the

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

of Fulda. The first written mention of it dates to 1309, but it might have been built one or two hundred years before. After

secularization In sociology, secularization () is a multilayered concept that generally denotes "a transition from a religious to a more worldly level." There are many types of secularization and most do not lead to atheism or irreligion, nor are they automatica ...

in 1802, it became the property of the German state of

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

Akademie Burg Fürsteneck

Since 1952 the castle has been used as an

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

for

vocational A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity. A calling, in the reli ...

and cultural

continuing education Continuing education is the education undertaken after initial education for either personal or professional reasons. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada. Recognized forms of post-secondary learning activities within the d ...

. It was rebuilt by the architect

Otto Bartning Otto Bartning (12 April 1883 in Karlsruhe – 20 February 1959 in Darmstadt) was a Modernist German architect, architectural theorist and teacher. In his early career he developed plans with Walter Gropius for the establishment of the Bauhaus. H ...

. Each year about 4,000 participants take part in one of nearly 200 courses, with 15,000 overnight stays.

Sources

*August Straub. ''Burgen und Schlösser im Hessenland''. Melsungen: Bernecker, 1976. *August Weber. ''Die Geschichte des Kreises Hünfeld''. Fulda: Parzeller, 1960. *Rudolf Christl ''et al''. ''1150 Jahre Dorf und Markt Eiterfeld. Amt und Gericht Fürsteneck. 845–1995''. Eiterfeld, 1995.

External links

Homepage of Burg Fürsteneck

European Nyckelharpa training in Burg Fürsteneck

Vocational course in medieval music at Burg Fürsteneck
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fursteneck, Burg Castles in Hesse Continuing education Buildings and structures in Fulda (district) Education in Germany Hill castles Jugendburg