Hohenstaufen Castle
Encyclopedia
Hohenstaufen Castle is a ruin, lying above the town of Hohenstaufen
, in the district of Göppingen
in Baden-Württemberg
, Germany
. It was the seat of the now-defunct House of Hohenstaufen.
Hohenstaufen Castle can be found on Hohenstaufen Mountain
, 684 m above sea level. The word Stauf means a "drinking vessel" and refers to the conical shape of the mountain.
According to written sources, Hohenstaufen castle was built in the second half of the 11th Century by Duke Frederick I of Swabia, as a fortress to protect family interests in the vicinity. The castle was until the 13 century a possession of the emperor and royal family, the Hohenstaufen dynasty. In 1181, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa
stayed there; in 1208, Irene Angelina
, the widow of Barbarossa's son, the recently murdered Philip of Swabia
, died here.
After the fall of the Hohenstaufen, the castle was made an imperial possession by Rudolf of Habsburg. This strategically and symbolically important location was a constant bone of contention between the Count of Wuerttemberg and the Reich.
From 1372, Hohenstaufen was in the hands of the counts of Württemberg. After the expulsion of Duke Ulrich in 1519, Georg Staufer of Bloßenstaufen successfully claimed the castle, as a descendant of the old Hohenstaufen dynasty. Only a small force defended the castle, and in 1525 it was taken and destroyed in the Peasants War. Stone from the castle was later used in the construction of the Göppinger Schloss.
Since 1871, Hohenstaufen Castle has been regarded as a national monument. Walther Veeck undertook excavations on it between 1936 and 1938, and further excavations were made between 1967 and 1971, uncovering and securing the castle foundations. In 2009 additional work was done to preserve the site.
The Staufer Museum, located at the intersection of Pfarrgasse and Kaiserbergsteige in Hohenstaufen, contains artifacts from and historical information about the site. The trail that leads to the castle site starts between the two churches that are adjacent to the Staufer Museum.
Hohenstaufen
The House of Hohenstaufen was a dynasty of German kings in the High Middle Ages, lasting from 1138 to 1254. Three of these kings were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor. In 1194 the Hohenstaufens also became Kings of Sicily...
, in the district of Göppingen
Göppingen (district)
Göppingen is a Kreis in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Rems-Murr, Ostalbkreis, Heidenheim, Alb-Donau, Reutlingen and Esslingen.-History:...
in Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It was the seat of the now-defunct House of Hohenstaufen.
Hohenstaufen Castle can be found on Hohenstaufen Mountain
Hohenstaufen mountain
The Hohenstaufen is a hill peaking in the Swabian Alb with an elevation of 684 m. Together with the Rechberg and Stuifen, it forms the so-called "Three Kaiser mountains"...
, 684 m above sea level. The word Stauf means a "drinking vessel" and refers to the conical shape of the mountain.
According to written sources, Hohenstaufen castle was built in the second half of the 11th Century by Duke Frederick I of Swabia, as a fortress to protect family interests in the vicinity. The castle was until the 13 century a possession of the emperor and royal family, the Hohenstaufen dynasty. In 1181, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
stayed there; in 1208, Irene Angelina
Irene Angelina
Irene Angelina was the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos by his first wife, perhaps named Herina, possibly a member of the Tornikes family.- Marriage and issue :...
, the widow of Barbarossa's son, the recently murdered Philip of Swabia
Philip of Swabia
Philip of Swabia was king of Germany and duke of Swabia, the rival of the emperor Otto IV.-Biography:Philip was the fifth and youngest son of Emperor Frederick I and Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy, daughter of Renaud III, count of Burgundy, and brother of the emperor Henry VI...
, died here.
After the fall of the Hohenstaufen, the castle was made an imperial possession by Rudolf of Habsburg. This strategically and symbolically important location was a constant bone of contention between the Count of Wuerttemberg and the Reich.
From 1372, Hohenstaufen was in the hands of the counts of Württemberg. After the expulsion of Duke Ulrich in 1519, Georg Staufer of Bloßenstaufen successfully claimed the castle, as a descendant of the old Hohenstaufen dynasty. Only a small force defended the castle, and in 1525 it was taken and destroyed in the Peasants War. Stone from the castle was later used in the construction of the Göppinger Schloss.
Since 1871, Hohenstaufen Castle has been regarded as a national monument. Walther Veeck undertook excavations on it between 1936 and 1938, and further excavations were made between 1967 and 1971, uncovering and securing the castle foundations. In 2009 additional work was done to preserve the site.
The Staufer Museum, located at the intersection of Pfarrgasse and Kaiserbergsteige in Hohenstaufen, contains artifacts from and historical information about the site. The trail that leads to the castle site starts between the two churches that are adjacent to the Staufer Museum.