{{Infobox military structure , name = Isenburg , image = Ruine Isenburg1.jpg , image2 = , caption = Ruins of the Isenburg with its ''

bergfried ''Bergfried'' (plural: ''bergfriede''; English: ''belfry''; French: ''tour-beffroi''; Spanish: ''torre del homenaje'') is a tall tower that is typically found in castles of the Middle Ages in German-speaking countries and in countries under German ...

'' , native_name = , built = 12th century , type =

hill castle A hill castle or mountain castle is a castle built on a natural feature that stands above the surrounding terrain. It is a term derived from the German ''Höhenburg'' used in categorising castle sites by their topographical location. Hill castles a ...

spur castle A spur castle is a type of medieval fortification that is sited on a spur of a hill or mountain for defensive purposes. Ideally, it would be protected on three sides by steep hillsides; the only vulnerable side being that where the spur joins the ...

, condition = ruin , materials = , location = Hartenstein and Wildbach , occupants = , coordinates = {{coord, 50, 38, 2, N , 12, 40, 26, E , type:landmark_region:DE-SN, display=inline,title, format=dms , map_type = Germany , code = DE-SN , height = The Isenburg is a ruined castle in the

Western Ore Mountains The Western Ore Mountains (german: Westerzgebirge) is a natural region that forms the westernmost part of the Ore Mountains in the German state of Saxony. It is also part of the major landscape unit known as the Saxon Highlands and Uplands. It e ...

between Hartenstein and the village of Wildbach in the town of Aue-Bad Schlema. It sits high above the valley of the

Zwickauer Mulde The Zwickauer Mulde () is a river in Saxony, Germany. It is the left tributary of the Mulde and in length. The source of the river is in the Ore Mountains, near Schöneck, in the Vogtlandkreis. It runs northeast to Aue, then northwest to ...

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

History

In the course of the settlement of the Ore Mountains, a fortifications was built on a rocky spur above the confluence of the Wildbach stream and the river Mulde. Archaeological finds indicate that this site already existed in the 12th century. The name "Isenburg" goes back to the name ''Vas'' and indicates either iron mining, which took place in the vicinity (''see also'': Bad Schlema Show Mine), or it meant "iron" in the sense of "impregnable". Little is known about the history of

and its violent destruction. There are no verified, documented references. Oral traditions - the first account dates to 1738 - called the Isenburg a "robber castle," the "Old Castle" (''Altes Schloss'') and the "Iron Castle" (''Eisenburg''), from which its present name is derived. But there are no medieval sources. The castle had been destroyed by the 14th century and was never rebuilt. Its ruins were probably used from the 15th to 17th centuries as shelters for the local population during times of conflict. Around 1750, the remains of the castle were demolished to build the stone church in Wildbach. In 1934 the remains of the ramparts were exposed by the

Reich Labour Service The Reich Labour Service (''Reichsarbeitsdienst''; RAD) was a major organisation established in Nazi Germany as an agency to help mitigate the effects of unemployment on the German economy, militarise the workforce and indoctrinate it with Naz ...

. The foundations of the ramparts and the remains of the round ''

'' were restored in 1993.

Design

An outer, lower and upper bailey can be made out and there was also a

cistern A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by ...

. The site covers an area of 51 x 33 metres, the tower has a diameter at its base of about 9 metres and a wall thickness of 3 metres. The only easily accessible, western, side of the castle was also protected by a ditch. The inner and outer shell is made of horizontal layers of brick, whilst the core is lined with cut stone laid in a herringbone pattern (''

opus spicatum ''Opus spicatum'', literally "spiked work," is a type of masonry construction used in Roman and medieval times. It consists of bricks, tiles or cut stone laid in a herringbone pattern. Uses Its usage was generally decorative and most commonly ...

'').

Access

The recommended way to visit the castle ruins is by foot from Hartenstein railway station which takes about 30 minutes. Only about 200 metres from the station is Stein Castle. At this spot the route crosses the

river to a point immediately below Schloss Wolfsbrunn. Here the route turns left and winds through the Poppenwald upstream and parallel to the Mulde. After a short, but steep, climb known as "Gentle Henry" (''Sanfter Heinrich''), the path forks. Keeping right, the route passes the Wildbach Church on an easy forest path. Here there are signs to the ruins which are another 700 metres further on. The left-hand fork leads via a wild and romantic narrow path on top of the river bank of the Mulde to the same destination. This path is called the "Raubrittersteig" ("Robber Baron Climb") and is one of the most attractive walks in the Mulde Valley. Very close to the Isenburg, but on the opposite bank of the Mulde, is the Prince's Cave. The path continues further upstream towards Bad Schlema where a

radium Radium is a chemical element with the symbol Ra and atomic number 88. It is the sixth element in group 2 of the periodic table, also known as the alkaline earth metals. Pure radium is silvery-white, but it readily reacts with nitrogen (rathe ...

spring is reached after about 1 kilometre.

Literature

* Matthias Donath: ''Schlösser im westlichen Erzgebirge'', Meissen, 2010, pp.57 ff.

External links

The Isenburg
- private homepage
Ruins of Isenburg castle
- panorama Castles in Saxony Zwickau (district) Erzgebirgskreis Ore Mountains Ruined castles in Germany