Youth training center and school hostel
CastleNiederalfingen
Niederalfingen Castle
Niederalfingen Castle, also known as Marienburg, is a spur castle on a mountain spur above the Kocher Valley near the Niederalfingen district of the municipality of Hüttlingen in the Ostalbkreis in Baden-Württemberg.
Around 1050, the castle was built as a Staufer complex to secure important trade routes. After 1300, it passed into the possession of the Knights of Seckendorf, in 1368 into the possession of Count Eberhard the Greiner of Württemberg, in 1415 into the possession of the Nobles of Hürnheim, and in 1551, the now powerful castle complex went to the Fugger family of Augsburg, who rebuilt and expanded the castle from 1575 to 1577.
In 1838, the castle came into the possession of the then Kingdom of Württemberg and has been used as an educational and recreational facility since 1966. Extensive renovation work took place from 1993–2000.
Current Use
Today, the castle serves as a youth education center, recreational facility, and school country home. The Vogt building, located below the castle wall, houses the local history museum of the municipality of Hüttlingen.
Complex+
The castle complex, which developed from a zwinger castle with an access gate, has a core castle with interlocking wings, an outer bailey, and considerable ring walls. It is widely visible and impressive due to its 30-meter-high keep, the Copper Tower, with a base area of 9.8 × 9.8 meters and a wall thickness of 3.2 meters, which is square at the bottom and octagonal at the top, equipped with gunports. The castle chapel was consecrated to St. Mary, St. Barbara, and St. Catherine. The feudal castle complex is an example of 16th-century Romanticism.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 48.8967, 10.0767