Altenburg (Bamberg)
- This article is about the castle in Upper Franconia, Germany. For other uses, see Altenburg (disambiguation).
The Altenburg is a castle that sits on a hill overlooking the city of Bamberg in northern Bavaria, and dates back to 1109.
History
The earliest known date that the Altenburg was known to have existed was 1109, although it is likely that it was built on the spot of an earlier palisade castle.[1]
It first served as what is known is German as a "Fliehburg". This is a castle that was not regularly inhabited, but served mainly for city defense as a place where local residents could flee to in times of danger.
Then, from 1305 to 1553, it was the residence of the Bamberger Fürstbischofs (the sovereign bishops of Bamberg).
In the Second Margraves' War (Zweiter Markgrafenkrieg) of 1553, the army of Margrave Albrecht Alcibiades von Brandenburg-Kulmbach burnt the castle down to its foundations.
In 1801, the Bamberger physician Adalbert Friedrich Marcus acquired the decaying castle and restored it from the ground up. E. T. A. Hoffmann, who was friends with Marcus, felt so drawn to the castle that he stayed for a long time in one of the wall towers.
The Altenburg Society
In 1818, a society for the maintenance of the Altenburg, named the "Altenburgverein e.V. Bamberg," received the castle. Today one can find in the castle a restaurant, that also manages the so-called Knights Hall. This is mostly used for festive occasions such as weddings or founding celebrations.
From 1952 to 1982, a brown bear named Poldi lived in a "Zwinger" (a small enclosure) in the castle. The Zwinger is still available, but today only houses a stuffed bear.
In Written Works
- Quotation from a Travel Guide from the Early 20th Century
In his travel guide of Bamberg and its environment around the year 1912, the author Dietrich Amende describes the castle:
Die Altenburg ist das Wahrzeichen Bambergs. Weithin grüßt ihr schlanker Turm in das Fränkische Land. Sie steht auf einem Bergkegel am Rande der Steigerwaldhöhe. Zusammen mit dem gegenüber auf der Jurahöhe sichtbaren Schloß Giech beherrschte sie in vergangenen Jahrhunderten die Mainebene.
— Dr. Dietrich Amende[2]