Burg Lichtenstein or the Lichtenstein Castle is also otherwise known as the fairy tale castle of Wurttemberg. It is a 19th century castle located on the site of Honau in the community of Lichtenstein. It is precisely situated in the district of Reutlingen in Baden-Wurttemberg. The castle floats at a height of 817 metres above sea level at Albtrauf in the Swabian Alps right above the Valley of Echaz. In 2009 Lichtenstein Castle was featured in the film Sleeping Beauty – the adaptation of the famous fairy tale by Brothers Grimm.
History
The origins of Lichtenstein Castle date go as far as 1390. The site of today’s castle is where once stood the castle of Alt-Lichtenstein. It was in 1381 when during the Swabian Wars that the castle was destroyed and in place of that later-on during the late Middle Ages a new and reinforced castle of Lichtenstein was built. It was regarded as the most fortified castle of its time. Among its noteworthy features were the casemates on the southern side which were shaped as a saddle and its use was for firearms. Moreover, time was not quite favourable and thus the castle became prey to abandonment and neglect. Its strategic importance was lost and in 1567 it also lost its status as the ducal seat. Documents of research have shown that during the following years the castle was used as a forest house.
Furthermore, during the Thirty Years’ War between 1618 and 1648 the castle also came to be used by the Tyrolean line from the House of Habsburg, but in the due course they also moved on from the castle and it was abandoned concurrently. Almost forty years later in 1687 the last of the Liechtsteiner fell in their battle with the Turks and because with this battle the family line ended there were no takers of Burg Lichtenstein. Today you can find the remains from the battle in the form the original coat of arms of Lichtenstein displayed in the Knight’s Hall of the castle. It is displayed on a blue backdrop and highlighted with furling golden angel wings.
Duke Frederick II decreed to demolish parts of the castle in 1802 and later the King of Wurttemberg, King Frederick created a hunting house out of the remaining castle. Moreover, based on the increasing tendency of romance and medieval chivalry during the latter parts of the century, Wilhelm Hauff published his novel titled as Lichtenstein in 1826. The novel carried many references to Burg Lichtenstein, as it was during the medieval times and has a historical plot structure. It was through this novel that the history of the state of Wuerttemberg became popular. Its narrative revolves around the outlawed Duke Ulrich and furthers into the reasons of his expulsion from Wurttemberg and his temporary stay at Lichtenstein.
Wilhelm Graf von Württemberg who would later be known as the Duke of Urach, the cousin of the King was immensely interested in the medieval history, architecture and art monuments. He was immensely influenced by Wilhelm Hauffs novel and thereon went on to purchase Burg Lichtenstein. He developed and rebuilt the castle for the purpose of a summer residence.
The summer house there was acquired by Count Wilhelm in 1837 from Uracher Oberförster Philipp Freiherr von Hill and his successor Friedrich von Mandelsloh. Count Wilhelm had an avid collector of weaponries, armouries and paintings. He then demanded an authentic Knight’s Castle for displaying his collections. He would further go on ordering Johann Georg Rupp, the construction manager, to build steep rock towers on top of the medieval walls of the castle. Burg Lichtenstein was turned into a neo-Gothic castle and thus also became the first historicist castle in East Germany. The castle was also equipped with window dressing in the Swabian Alb landscape; also its interior designs and exterior facade became representative of the romantic spirit of the day and age. Furthermore, the tradition of Gothic revival can also be associated with the design of the castle. Paintings by Georg Eberlein were placed on the interior walls of the chambers. The post 1848 revolution period saw expansion of the fortress with the decree of Duke of Urach Count William. In 1898 and 1901 other buildings in the complex were constructed along with some renovation work.
Between 1997 and 1999 a full round of restoration work was conducted with regards to the sponsorship provided by Wüstenrot Foundation and other funding communities who were interested in the revival of Burg Lichtenstein. Today hundreds and thousands of tourists and history buffs flock around and explore the medieval arenas and castle buildings.
Other Curious Insights
Lichtenstein Castle also featured on various stamp series. Particularly, after the Second World War when the western part of Germany was under French occupation, in the month of August 1947 special stamps under the issue of the French Zone of Wurttemberg-Hohenzollern were released. Furthermore, in 1868 in Lietzow a copy of the castle of Lichtenstein was built. Similarly in Osthofen at Worms in 1891 a vineyard was built in the form of a miniature replica of the castle. In South Africa as well, a business man of German dissent replicated Lichtenstein Castle and this spot is considered to be a major attraction of the locale ever since. The original castle today, remains under the ownership of the Dukes of Urach. It cantinas a massive collection of historic weapons and armours.
In the Valley of Echaz you can also find micro tributaries of Neckar river that run 250 metres deep within the valley and go further as deep as 500 metres in the south-eastern region of the castle where the remains of the medieval castle Alt-Lichtenstein are present.
A few notable facts about the castle that are worth known are:
- The locals of Baden-Wurttemberg are proud of their heritage so much so that, they have given this castle a nickname, that is: Neuschwanstein’s Little Brother. The Neuschwanstein Castel is considered as the most famous castle in Germany. The second nickname which it cares is: the fairy tale castle. Though the reference here again is Neuschwanstein Castel.
- Most tourists just happen to ignore this castle while travelling in Germany despite it being a matter of local pride.
- It is a relatively younger castle since it was built between 1840 and 1842. However, the land around is quite ripe with historical character.
- The name: Burg Lichtenstein means light coloured stone which is also descriptive of how the castle was built and looks.
Travelling to Burg Lichtenstein does not take much time from Stuttgart. It is only about an hour’s drive away