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The Ramburg is a
ruined
Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...
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 ...
in the county of Südliche Weinstraße
Südliche Weinstraße (; ; ) is a district (''Kreis'') in the south of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from west clockwise) Südwestpfalz, Bad Dürkheim, the district-free city Neustadt (Weinstraße), Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis ...
, 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 ...
.
Geography
The ruins of the Ramburg stand on the ''Schlossberg'' ("castle hill") at a height of above the village of Ramberg in thePalatinate region
The Palatinate (; ; Palatine German: ''Palz''), or the Rhenish Palatinate (''Rheinpfalz''), is a historical region of Germany. The Palatinate occupies most of the southern quarter of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate (''Rheinla ...
. The river Dernbach, the left-hand headstream of the Eisbach) flows through the valley.
Other castle ruins in the vicinity are: Modeneck Castle (ca. 2 km east-northeast), Frankenfelsen Castle (ca. 2.5 km east-northeast) and Neuscharfeneck Castle (ca. 2 km southeast).
History
The Ramburg was built in the 12th century under theHouse 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 ...
as an imperial castle
An imperial castle or ''Reichsburg'' was a castle built by order of (or acquired by) the King of the Romans or the Holy Roman Emperor on land that was owned by the crown ''(Reichsgut)''.
While in the early middle ages, in Francia, as well as in ...
for the protection of Trifels Castle
Trifels Castle () is a reconstructed medieval castle at an elevation of near the small town of Annweiler, in the Palatinate region of southwestern Germany. It is located high above the Queich valley within the Palatinate Forest on one peak of ...
. It is recorded as the seat of imperial ''ministeriales
The ''ministeriales'' (singular: ''ministerialis'') were a legally unfree but socially elite class of knights, administrators, and officials in the High Middle Ages in the Holy Roman Empire, drawn from a mix of servile origins, free commoners, and ...
'' from 1163.
In 1519, Hans of Ramburg, the last member of the House of Ramburg, sold his castle to the Dalbergs. Six years later the castle was completely razed during the Peasants' War
This is a chronological list of revolts organized by peasants.
Background
The history of peasant wars spans over two thousand years. A variety of factors fueled the emergence of the peasant revolt phenomenon, including:
* Tax resistance
* So ...
.
In 1540 the ruins were sold to the counts of Löwenstein. After being totally destroyed by a lightning strike in 1560 it was rebuilt as a residential castle again.
The castle was plundered during 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 ...
, but not destroyed. Until 1638 it remained occupied as district office (''Amtsitz''), but fell into increasing disrepair and was used as a quarry in the early 18th century.
Description
From the valley the impressive remains of the mightyshield wall
A shield wall ( or in Old English, in Old Norse) is a military formation that was common in ancient and medieval warfare. There were many slight variations of this formation,
but the common factor was soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder ...
and the ''palas
A ''palas'' () is a German term for the imposing or prestigious building of a medieval '' Pfalz'' or castle that contained the great hall. Such buildings appeared during the Romanesque period (11th to 13th century) and, according to Thompson ...
'' are still visible. In addition, a neck ditch
A neck ditch (), sometimes called a throat ditch,
at www.roadstoruins.com. Accessed on 3 Jan 2012. is a dry
at www.roadstoruins.com. Accessed on 3 Jan 2012. is a dry