Minneburg

En un regard

Le château en bref

Opposite Neckargerach, on a spur of the Schlossrücken rising 50 m above the Neckar valley, the ruins of the Minneburg form one of the most evocative castle complexes in the Odenwald. Reliably mentioned in 1339, when Eberhardt Rüdt von Collenberg acquired it through marriage, it was sold as early as 1349 to Count Palatine Rupert I. In 1518 the Heidelberg provost Wilhelm von Habern received it as a hereditary fief and transformed it profoundly: the Gothic residence was enriched with a stair tower, oriel windows and decorative Renaissance gables, while an outer ward (Zwinger) with thick walls and massive artillery towers, the work of master builder Hans Steinmüller, adapted the fortress to firearms. The irregular pentagonal core brings together the keep, shield wall, residence and kitchen. Taken by Tilly's troops on 22 March 1622, the Minneburg became a quarry; a hermit was still living there at the beginning of the 19th century. Consolidated since 1970, the ruin is freely accessible, although the core is closed for safety works.