 | |
| Hambach Castle | |
| federal state | Rhineland-Palatinate |
|---|---|
| Residents | unknown |
no value for residents on Wikidata:  | |
| height | 379.2 m |
| Tourist info web | http://www.hambacher-schloss.de/ |
| no tourist info on Wikidata: | |
The Hambach Castle arose from a former castle on the eastern edge of the Palatinate Forest. The castle complex stands for the "Hambach Festival“Of May 27, 1832, one of the most important events in the emergence of democratic Germany.
background
Hambach Castle is located a few hundred meters southwest and above the center of Hambach on the Wine Route, the village itself is administratively a district of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse.
history
before 1832
The castle complex of the "Hambacher Schloss" is located on the castle hill named after the castle, a strategically important 325 m high foothills of the Haardt, the ridge on the edge of the Middle Ages Palatinate Forest over the east adjoining Rhine valley.
As the successor to a fortress from the late Carolingian-Ottonian period in the 9th / 10th. In the first half of the 11th century, a new castle was built, presumably under the Speyer church. This complex came under the Speyer bishop Johann I von Kraichgau under the name Kästenburg (Kastanienburg after the surrounding chestnut forests) between 1090 and 1104 to the Speyer bishopric. The complex remained in the ownership of the bishopric until the 18th century. The history of the Kästenburg was very changeable during this period with various construction phases on the fortifications in the 13th and early 18th centuries and also with documented massive destruction in the Peasants' War in 1525, 1552 and in the "Palatinate War of Succession" (1688 - 1697).
In 1815 the ruin, which could no longer be defended against modern cannons and therefore strategically insignificant, came to the Kingdom of Bavaria as a result of the Congress of Vienna with the entire region, and was sold for 625 guilders under the name Hambach Castle sold to a group of 16 wealthy citizens from Neustadt, Mußbach and Winzingen.
From now on, the area of the former castle has repeatedly been the scene of political rallies. In 1814 the first anniversary of the "Battle of the Nations near Leipzig" was celebrated and in 1831 the citizens of Neustadt celebrated the anniversary of the French July Revolution (July 27th - July 29th, 1830).
Hambach Festival 1832
The Hambach Festival then took place on May 27, 1832. The actual immediate cause was the dissatisfaction of the Palatinate population with the Bavarian authorities. The population had experienced civic freedoms and the rule of law from 1798 under the administration of the revolutionary French, the Palatinate therefore felt the new Bavarian administration under the still absolutist Wittelsbachers as repressive: A mixture of Palatine, French and Poles marched from the market square in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Craftsmen, citizens, members of parliament and students under waving flags in the colors black, red and gold up to the castle ruins of Hambach Castle. The ostensible reason in the appeal was for a folk festival for the “German May”, as political gatherings were forbidden.
The protest movement against the Bavarian foreign administration turned into a mass rally for the German nation with an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 participants on the castle grounds. In numerous glowing speeches, civil liberties and German national unity were called for. The meeting at Hambacher Schloss today, together with the 1st German National Assembly on May 18, 1848 in the Paulskirche in Frankfurt, is considered to be one of the two most important milestones in Germany's development into a democratic nation-state.
after 1832
As a result of the rally in May 1832, the relationship between the Palatinate and the Wittelsbach royal family in Bavaria was severely clouded. As a sign of reconciliation, in 1842 a "Central Committee" set up by Palatinate MPs acquired the entire area with and around Hambach Castle for 3,125 guilders and made it, now as Maxburg inscribed, the Bavarian Crown Prince and later King Maximilian II of Bavaria as a wedding gift. The castle was then rebuilt from 1844 with neo-Gothic style elements (as a Palatinate Castle Hohenschwangau) renovated according to plans by the architect August von Voit. But at the end of 1846 the work was stopped after only half of the promised 94,300 guilders had been paid out from the royal treasury. The castle remained in ruins until after World War II.
In 1952, the Hambach Castle came into the possession of the then Neustadt district and from 1969 became the property of the newly created Bad Dürkheim district.
To the 150th anniversary of the "Hambacher Fest" took place in 1982, the fundamental renovation into the design that is visible today. The funds used came from the Bad Dürkheim district, the state Rhineland-Palatinate and the Federal Republic.
Hambach Castle has been owned by a specially established foundation since 2002. The sponsors of the foundation are the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, the district association of Palatinate, the district of Bad Dürkheim and the city of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse with the support of the federal government.
With various construction measures, the interior was made barrier-free, a new catering wing was created on the south side of the castle building and redesigns were carried out in the landscape park. Today the facility is used as an event center for conferences and permanent exhibitions, as a museum and as a hotel with a total of around 200,000 visitors per year.
| location | ||
| ||
| Distances (road km) | ||
| Neustadt Wine Route | 7 km | |
|---|---|---|
| Bad Dürkheim | 44 km | |
| Mannheim | 44 km | |
| Frankfurt | 125 km | |
| Cologne | 262 km | |
| Munich | 354 km | |
| Hamburg | 611 km | |
| Berlin | 668 km | |
getting there
By plane
The next international point of arrival is the airport Frankfurt
(IATA: FRA)which is 118 km north. By car, the onward journey to the destination takes just under an hour if traffic conditions are good. By train and bus you need about Mannheim, approx. 2 ½ hours driving time.
By train
The nearest train station is in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse. From here, continue by bus (direct connection from the train station: line 502) or by taxi.
In the street
- For the long-distance traveler from north and west: Via the A 6 motorway (Mannheim - Saarbrücken, from the Frankenthal motorway triangle on the A 61 towards Speyer and from the Mutterstadt motorway junction on the A 65 towards Neustadt an der Weinstraße bis
Neustadt an der Weinstrasse - Süd, continue in the direction of Hambach and Schloss, follow the signs.
- For the long-distance traveler from south: Via the Autobahn A 5 on the right bank of the Rhine (Kreuz Walldorf) and the A 6 and A 61 in the direction of Saarbrücken to the Autobahn junction Mutterstadt. Continue on the A 65 towards Neustadt an der Weinstraße to Neustadt an der Weinstrasse - Süd, continue in the direction of Hambach and Schloss, follow the signs.
- Large car park along the access road (one-way street) directly below the castle.
mobility
The vrn (Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar) looks after the bus routes in the region.
Arriving by bus from Neustadt an der Weinstrasse: Line 502, Neustadt-Waldeck-Hambacher Schloss. Stop directly below the castle.
A signposted footpath along the south side of the castle shows a lot of leaves from the Palatinate Forest and little castle.
activities
- Opening times castle (with restaurant): from April to October 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., otherwise 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Castle tours, Admission prices permanent exhibition € 4.50;
shop
A Museum shop on the subject is at the parking lot.
kitchen
- Restaurant 1832
- Burgschänke Rittersberg (Hotel Restaurant), Am Hambacher Schloss 19, 67434 Neustadt / Weinstrasse (At the castle). Tel.: 49(0) 6321 39900, Fax: 49(0) 6321 32799. Price: double room: approx. € 60, single room: approx. € 44.
nightlife
The lights at the castle go out in the evening.
There is some entertainment in the restaurants in Hambach, the next option with a larger selection of entertainment in the evening is in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse.
accommodation
Practical advice
trips
literature
Web links
- Hambach Castle Foundation: www.hambacher-schloss.de
- Hambacher Schloss Betriebs-GmbH: www.hambacherschloss.eu
- Tourism website of Hambach an der Weinstrasse: www.hambach-weinstrasse.de
- Info page about the permanent exhibition at the castle: www.demokratiegeschichte.eu
