Fels und Schloss

Beschreibung

In the 13th century, the Sponheim dynasty built a fortification on the rocky outcrop. Around 1280, it was administered by a knight named Ruther zu Heresteyn as a Sponheim vassal, who had to ensure the protection of the Sponheim possessions.

The name Herrstein appears for the first time in a document from the year 1279. The rock probably contributed to the naming of the settlement Herrstein (Herren-Stein).

The knight named himself after the name of the place. Nothing is known about his origins, but he probably came from the service nobility of the region.

In 1314, Count Heinrich II of Sponheim-Starkenburg married Loretta von Salm, who gained a legendary reputation for her courageous stance against Bishop Baldwin of Trier.

Their three sons were born in Herrstein. 

The daughters of the eldest son John III are the ancestors of almost all European ruling or former royal and imperial houses.

The Widow. The widow of the last Count of Sponheim - John V - Walpurga von Leiningen - had her widow's seat at Herrstein Castle until her death around 1456. She is said to be buried in the choir room of the castle church.

John V. And Walburga granted town rights to the settlement of Herrstein, which granted freedoms to the citizens, but individual compulsory services and the obligation of the citizens to maintain the city wall remained.

The town rights were lost in 1792 after the occupation by Napoleonic troops, but the function of the administrative seat remained.

Today's so-called castle is a Baden official building built in 1742.

The actual castle building had become dilapidated due to neglect and collapsed during a terrible stormy night in 1738. The 4th tower was demolished for the new building. The other three towers are still at least partially preserved.

The building was auctioned off to a private individual during the French Revolution, but was repurchased by the Oldenburg government around 1825. 

It served for a time as a district court, in 1841 the forestry office was moved to the building (until 1972) and in 1855 the cadastral office.

Part of the house served as an apartment for the family of the head of the forestry office. From 1841 to 1863, the most famous resident was the forester Peter Tischbein, son of the Goethe painter Tischbein. He had an international reputation as an entomologist and fossil researcher. 

A species of brittle star found in the Bundenbach slate was named after him. One copy can be found in the local history museum.

Today, the building is privately owned.