 | ||
| Henneberg | ||
| federal state | Thuringia | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | approx. 620 | |
other value for residents on Wikidata: 602   | ||
| height | 410 m | |
| no tourist info on Wikidata: | ||
| location | ||
| ||
The community Henneberg is located in southern Thuringia, southwest of the Rhön and right on the border too Lower Franconia {Bavaria). The village is at the foot of the Henneberg castle ruins, in the Middle Ages ancestral seat of Count of Henneberg and one of the largest castle ruins in Thuringia.
background
The small village of Henneberg is the settlement at the foot of Henneberg Castle as the seat of the former Henneberg County.
In the years after the Second World War, the place was almost immediately at the inner German border and in the exclusion zone. Because of the distance of less than two kilometers to the death strip, residence and entry restrictions applied here, which were strictly controlled, the freedom of movement of the citizens was severely restricted.
The reunification at the beginning of the 1990s was the most important event in the recent history of the village.
County of Henneberg
Henneberg Castle was the ancestral seat of the Franconian count family Henneberg. The modern research see the ancestors of the "Henneberger" in a close connection to Fulda Abbey. The Counts of Henneberg, their heraldic animal was the hen, have been reliably traceable since the end of the 11th century, at that time they were able to found an important county in a phase of the disintegration of Franconian central power in the area between the Thuringian Forest and the Main. From 1091 to 1220 the noble family held the burgraviate and from 1102 to 1167 the bishopric of the diocese of Würzburg and had great influence in the Franconian region. The noble Henneberg family died out in 1583.
The county was always in the area of friction between central and southern German powers and was subject to constant territorial upheaval. The county belonged to the Franconian Reichskreis until 1806 and was then divided up. The name has remained "Henneberger Land" for the region between Rhön, Grave field and Thuringian Forest as a cultural-historical term for large parts of southern Thuringia.
getting there
| Distances (approx. Road km) | |
| Mellrichstadt | 9 km |
|---|---|
| Meiningen | 11 km |
| Fulda | 73 km |
| Wurzburg | 104 km |
| Erfurt | 99 km |
| Frankfurt | 166 km |
By plane
The nearest international airports are in Erfurt (94 km), Frankfurt am Main (171 km) and the Nuremberg Airport (179 km).
By train
The next train stations are in Mellrichstadt and in Meiningen.
In the street
Henneberg is on the road connecting Mellrichstadt and Meiningen.
Spacious access via the motorway 
of Erfurt to Schweinfurt:
- Coming from the south
Mellrichstadt, and on towards Meiningen to Henneberg.
- Coming from the east Meiningen, and on towards Mellrichstadt to Henneberg.
The road runs around Henneberg as a bypass.
By bicycle
mobility
Tourist Attractions
Henneberg castle ruins
The castle is enthroned on the Schlossberg, a 527 m high shell limestone mountain east of the village and about 130 m above the surrounding area. The panorama from the castle extends from the Rhön until Thuringian Forest. With an area of approx. 0.4 hectares, the complex is counted among the most powerful feudal castles of its time, in various ways as the second most important castle in Thuringia after the Wartburg.
The first small castle complex is mentioned for the first time in 1096, but settlement of the castle hill can already be traced back to the early Iron Age in the 7th - 5th centuries BC.
The castle was then the ancestral seat of the Counts of Henneberg, the complex was expanded into a strongly fortified fortress and controlled several trade routes, including the trade route from Würzburg to Eisenach.
In the 13th century, the castle lost its importance with the division of the county, but was still further rebuilt and expanded. In May 1525, during the Peasants' War, the "Bildhäuser Bauernhaufen" captured the castle without a fight, plundered and sacked it, and then only partially rebuilt it. When the Counts of Henneberg died out in 1583, the castle fell into disrepair and became a quarry.
It was not until the end of the 18th century that the ruins were secured and excavated.
A large part of the curtain wall with access gate and part of the outer wall of the palace, the freely accessible keep, parts of a bower, other parts of residential and farm buildings, a tower that was added around 1880 and an accessible tower, a fountain and parts of the castle ramparts have been preserved.
Access: It is not possible to drive up to the castle by car. Ascent from the village of Henneberg on a steep field and forest path and in approx. 15 minutes.
A second, even intact Henneberg Castle there are nevertheless. Today there are non-commercial events taking place in it on a small scale. On a "small scale" because it is only a 1: 4 copy of the real castle. However, it is located in the Hamburg district of Poppenbüttel.
activities
Every year at the end of June there is a dated Club Henneburg organized castle festival.
shop
kitchen
- Black hen inn, Zum Sechsacker 1, 98617 Henneberg. Tel.: 49 (0)36945 51878.
nightlife
accommodation
health
- The next clinic is located in Meiningen.
Practical advice
| Brief information | |
| surface | 13.2 km² |
|---|---|
| Phone code | 036945 |
| Post Code | 98617 |
| Mark | MN |
| Time zone | UTC 1 |
| Emergency call | 112 / 110 |
trips
literature
Web links
- http://www.meiningen.de/ - Official website of Henneberg
- Club Henneburg e.V.
- Historical Lexicon of Bavaria: Count of Henneberg
- Castles in Saxony-Anhalt: Excavations on the Henneburg
