Altenburg Castle

The Altenburg is a castle that sits on the tallest of the seven hills of Bamberg, southern Germany, overlooking the city. It is located in Upper Franconia, a region in the state of Bavaria, and dates back to 1109.

The first mention of the Altenburg was in 1109, although it is likely that it was built on the spot of an earlier palisade castle.

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.

In 1251, the Bamberg "Fürstbischöfe," the sovereign bishops of Bamberg, acquired the castle. From 1305 to 1553, it was the residence of the bishops.

In 1553, during the Second Margrave War, the army of Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, burnt the castle down. Afterward the castle was used as a prison for a while.

In 1801, the Bamberg physician Adalbert Friedrich Marcus acquired the decaying castle and restored it from the ground up. The author E. T. A. Hoffmann, who was friends with Marcus, felt so drawn to the castle that he frequently stayed for a long time in one of the wall towers during the years 1808 to 1813.

My family at one time owned the Altenburg Castle; picture now hanging in my home. For all the years that the Berlin Wall was up, I believe only a handful of family members dared to get a "visa" to visit. It was, at one time, lived in, as I have been told, and as is written in our genealogy book so carefully researched by our Aunt. Wilhelm Altenburg 1756-1821 was in the Prince Carl Regiment/name listed on the Revolutionary War List of German Deserters. I would like to give you more information at this time, but need to close for now. I, myself, have been trying to find more of the "missing links" regarding the Altenburg Castle, other than what I have in print that my Aunt has already researched. I have been told that at one time the Altenburg name was Altenburger, and was changed to Altenburg, and I am very curious to find out if that is true, and if so, at what period did the name change take place. I was told as a child it took place sometime after/or just before Hitler took power. So, if anyone has an answer to that question, I would love to know the answer. I seem to be the only one in the family left, besides my aunt, who has an interest in preserving the history of our Altenburg name. Thank you.