Old Castle (Koblenz)

The Old Castle (German: Alte Burg) is a former electoral water castle in the German city of Koblenz, dating to the 13th century. The lowland castle is located in Koblenz's old town on the banks of the Moselle near the Baldwin Bridge. Only the Burghaus ("castle house") has survived; today it houses the city archives.

Old Castle
Alte Burg
Koblenz
The Old Castle in Koblenz seen from the Baldwin Bridge
Old Castle
Coordinates50°21′44″N 7°35′39″E
Typelowland castle and settlement
CodeDE-RP
Site information
Conditionpreserved or largely preserved
Site history
Builtaround 1185
Garrison information
OccupantsArchbishop of Trier

History

Around 1185, on the site of the present castle, the family of von der Arken built a Romanesque residence from the remains of a Roman round tower. Koblenz's city walls, which at that time still corresponded to those of the Late Roman castellum, were extended in 1250. The first record of a Koblenz city council in 1276 was about the citizens' aspirations for more independence. So in 1276 Archbishop Henry II of Finstingen had the Old Castle built as a type of coercion castle out of the structure of the residential building to counter these moves towards greater independence. The castle was partly built on the ruins of the Late Roman city wall dating to the 4th century. From 1281, however, the citizens of Koblenz prevented any further work on the ramparts and castle. Henry II of Finstingen was thus forced to subdue the city and, in 1283, retaliated with armed force. Archbishop Diether of Nassau subjugated the city permanently in 1304 after fierce fighting and Koblenz was forced to dissolve its city council. The construction of the Old Castle was completed in 1307. It was originally surrounded by a broad, water-filled moat and an enceinte.

  • Eastern view of the Old Castle
  • Main entrance in the Renaissance style
  • The Old Castle around 1890

Literature
  • Energieversorgung Mittelrhein GmbH (publ.): Geschichte der Stadt Koblenz. Gesamtredaktion: Ingrid Bátori in Verbindung mit Dieter Kerber und Hans Josef Schmidt
    • Vol. 1: Von den Anfängen bis zum Ende der kurfürstlichen Zeit. Theiss, Stuttgart, 1992. ISBN 3-8062-0876-X
    • Vol. 2: Von der französischen Stadt bis zur Gegenwart. Theiss, Stuttgart, 1993. ISBN 3-8062-1036-5
  • Fritz Michel: Die Kunstdenkmäler der Stadt Koblenz. Die profanen Denkmäler und die Vororte, Munich, Berlin, 1954, pp. 176-180 (Die Kunstdenkmäler von Rheinland-Pfalz Erster Band).
  • Kulturdenkmäler in Rheinland-Pfalz Band 3.2. Stadt Koblenz. Innenstadt, revised by Herbert Dellwing and Reinhard Kallenbach, Speyer, 2004, pp. 90f. ISBN 3-88462-198-X
  • Udo Liessm: Die "Alte Burg" in Koblenz. In: Burgen und Schlösser, 16. Jg 1975, pp. 21-33
  • Erich Keyser (ed.): Städtebuch Rheinland-Pfalz und Saarland. (Reihe: Deutsches Städtebuch. Handbuch städtischer Geschichte. IV Südwestdeutschland, 5th part) Im Auftrage der Arbeitsgemeinschaft der historischen Kommissionen und mit Unterstützung des Deutschen Städtetages, des Deutschen Städtebundes und des Deutschen Gemeindetages, Stuttgart 1964
  • Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Rheinland-Pfalz (publ.): Die Kunstdenkmäler der Stadt Koblenz. Die profanen denkmäler und die Vororte (Series: Die Kunstdenkmäler von Rheinland-Pfalz), unedited reprint of the 1954 edition, Im Auftrage des Kultusministeriums von Rheinland-Pfalz, Deutscher Kunstverlag München-Berlin, 1986 ISBN 3-422-00563-3
  • Ingeborg Scholz: Erzbischof Balduin von Luxemburg (1307–1354) als Bauherr von Landesburgen im Erzstift Trier. Diss. phil. Marburg 2003, Münster 2004 (Architektur 2), pp. 35-39. - ISBN 3-8258-7350-1
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References
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