Laach Castle (), also called the Pfalzgrafen Castle (''Pfalzgrafenburg'' or 'Count Palatine's Castle'), is a levelled
Salian
The Salian dynasty or Salic dynasty () was a dynasty in the High Middle Ages. The dynasty provided four kings of Germany (1024–1125), all of whom went on to be crowned Holy Roman emperors (1027–1125).
After the death of the last Ottonian ...
spur castle
A spur castle is a type of medieval fortification that is sited on a spur (mountain), 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 t ...
by the
Laacher See
Laacher See (), also known as Lake Laach or Laach Lake, is a volcanic Volcanic crater lake, caldera lake with a diameter of in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, about northwest of Koblenz, south of Bonn, and west of Andernach. It is in the Eifel ...
(Lake Laach) opposite the Abbey of Maria Laach. The castle site lies on the territory of
Kruft
Kruft is a municipality in the Mayen-Koblenz, district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany.
It is home to Laach Castle (Kruft), Laach Castle, a ''burgstall'' and former spur castle by the Laacher See lake.
References
...
in the county of
Mayen-Koblenz
Mayen-Koblenz is a district (''Kreis'') in the north of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Ahrweiler (district), Ahrweiler, Neuwied (district), Neuwied, Westerwaldkreis, district-free Koblenz, Rhein-Lahn ...
in the German state of
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...
.
Location
Laach was a
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 ...
which stood at a height on a rock spur which, at that time, was a peninsula because the level of the lake was 15 metres higher. It stood above the eastern shore of the lake and was temporarily the seat of the Rhenish
counts Palatine
A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German language, German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank abo ...
. Count Palatine
Henry of Laach
Henry of Laach (in German: ''Heinrich von Laach'') was the first count palatine of the Rhine (1085/1087–1095), then within the area of Lower Lotharingia. Henry was the son of Herman I, count of Gleiberg. Henry was a follower of Henry IV, Hol ...
from the House of
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
- Gleiberg (died 1095) founded the monastery of Laach () in 1093. Laach Castle () was demolished in 1112 by the stepson and adoptive son of Count Palatine Siegfried of Ballenstedt at the instigation of the abbey, who wanted to be absolutely safe from interference by the lord of the castle, the Count Palatine. The demolition of the castle was not a great loss for Siegfried, as he had another castle,
Rheineck
Rheineck is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Rheintal in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.
History
Rheineck is first mentioned about 1163 as ''castellum Rinegge''. In 1218 it was mentioned as ''Rinegg''. An older ...
, nearby.
The 170 -metre-long castle was divided into two sections, the oval bailey facing the lake, the elongated one facing the hinterland. A mighty
neck ditch
A neck ditch (), sometimes called a throat ditch, at www.roadstoruins.com. Accessed on 3 Jan 2012. is a dry
cross ditch
A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water de ...
es between the two castle baileys offered further protection. Stone towers are evidenced from their foundations (three square towers with 4.5 metre (2) or 8 metre-long sides). The remaining buildings were probably made of wood.
At the beginning of the 16th century only a few remains of the castle were still visible. Today, only few traces and the names of the fields "Laacher Burg" and "Alte Burg" indicate its existence.
Remains of Roman buildings
During an excavation in 1935, Roman bricks were found by Mayen excavator, Josef Kramer, on the summit of the hill spur. Further remnants of brick were discovered in the 1980s near the lava quarry pit in Hangschutt. These finds suggest that there were originally Roman buildings in the area of the castle. Due to its strategic location and its proximity (approx. 200 metres) to a Roman farmstead in the great Roß valley, Gerd Otto interprets these finds as remains of a defensive structure or refuge fort from late Roman times. Siegfried of Ballenstedt's demolition of the castle also now appeared in a new light. Perhaps the remains of a pagan fort within sight of their monastery caused the monks a certain unease.Gerd Otto: ''Auf den Spuren der Römer in der Osteifel.'' Sutton Verlag, 2009, , pp. 17-20.
References
Literature
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Horst Wolfgang Böhme
Horst Wolfgang Böhme (born May 1, 1940 in Szczecin) is a German archaeologist with a focus on Late Antiquity / Early Middle Ages and research into castles.
Life
Böhme studied prehistory, Roman provincial archaeology, history and folklore in Kiel ...
(ed.): ''Burgen der Salierzeit.'' 2 volumes. Thorbecke,
Sigmaringen
Sigmaringen ( Swabian: ''Semmerenga'') is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen district.
Sigmaringen is renowned for its castle, Schloss Sigmaringen, ...