Rothenfels Castle

Rothenfels Castle is a youth and adult education center and youth castle above the Lower Franconian town of Rothenfels in the Bavarian district of Main-Spessart in Germany. The hilltop castle was built over 850 years ago with its massive keep high above the Main river.

Today, it is not only a popular excursion destination between Würzburg and Aschaffenburg, but above all a Christian educational and conference center under independent sponsorship.

From 1150 to 1919

The oldest parts of the castle date back to 1150. Its founder was Markward II von Grumbach, documented since about 1120, † February 9, 1171. After the original noble family of Grumbach died out in 1243 with Albert von Grumbach, Lord of Rothenfels, Rothenfels Castle passed through his daughter Adelheid, who was married to Count Ludwig von Rieneck, to the Counts of Rieneck. They, in turn, sold the castle in 1328 to the ministerial family of Wolfskeel, who, however, already sold it to the Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg in 1333 and moved to Burggrumbach Castle, after which the line of Wolfskeels residing there henceforth called themselves Wolfskeel von Grumbach and later – like the original owners – simply von Grumbach.

During the secularization in 1803, Rothenfels, belonging to Würzburg, fell to the princely house of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, in 1806 through mediatization to the Principality of Aschaffenburg, and then in 1813 to the Kingdom of Bavaria.

Since 1919

The history of Rothenfels Castle as a Christian educational center began in 1919 with the sale of the castle by the princely house of Löwenstein to the Quickborn movement. The castle became known beyond its borders through the work of the famous theologian Romano Guardini (1885-1968), who was the castle director from 1927 to 1939. Under Guardini's leadership, the castle chapel became the heart of the liturgical movement, which anticipated essential ideas of the Second Vatican Council. Inspired by the Dessau Bauhaus and his studies under master builder Hans Poelzig in Berlin, the architect Rudolf Schwarz designed the interiors as well as many of the furnishings at that time.

After the Quickborn movement purchased Rothenfels Castle in February 1919, Klemens Neumann, with many volunteers, prepared the castle for the First German Quickborn Day in August 1919. The Quickborn Days, which then took place annually, made Rothenfels Castle known as a place where boys and girls, young women and men together organized work weeks from a Christian spirit and experimented with new approaches, especially in worship design, scripture reading, community life, music, and dance.

The furnishing of the chapel with (still existing) sacred objects was overseen by a "working group" of teachers and students from the Aachen School of Arts and Crafts under Schwarz's direction, namely Fritz Schwerdt for the large sanctuary lamp, Anton Schickel and Fritz Schwerdt for the small crucifix, and Hein Minkenberg for the associated ivory corpus. The designs for the altar, altar candlesticks, and tabernacle - predominantly with nailed silver sheet metal - came from Rudolf Schwarz himself, while Anton Schickel carried out the execution.

The fruitful work at Rothenfels Castle, violently interrupted by the confiscation of the castle in August 1939 for pedagogy, the liturgical movement, and the peace movement, was continued after the war under the direction of the Munich Oratorian Heinrich Kahlefeld and attracted many people with its Easter and Pentecost conferences, work weeks for young people from all walks of life, and other events. From 1959, the castle management consisted of Prof. Dr. Heinrich Fleckenstein, Würzburg; Dr. Bernhard Casper, Freiburg; and Senior High School Teacher Bruno Leuschner, Schlüchtern. In the 1960s, the Castle Council was established, an advisory body responsible for the castle's educational work, consisting of nine honorary members. Since that time, there has also been a full-time educational officer (including Dr. Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz – 1975 to 1984 –, Ludger Bradenbrink – 1986 – 1995 –, Joachim Hake – 1995 – 2006 –, from 2007 PD. Dr. Achim Budde. The honorary castle chaplain was Prof. Dr. Rolf Zerfaß, Würzburg, from 1983 to 1991, and since 1995 Dr. Gotthard Fuchs, Wiesbaden.)

Sponsor of the Castle

As the legal entity of the Quickborn Federation, the "Vereinigung der Quickbornfreunde e.V." (Association of Quickborn Friends) was registered in the association register at the Lohr District Court on November 20, 1917. It purchased Rothenfels Castle from the Prince of Löwenstein on February 21, 1919. The first chairman was Dr. Bernhard Strehler, prefect in Neisse, from 1925 Rector Josef Emonds, Dormagen, from 1927 Dr. Ing. Rolf Ammann, Cannstatt.

Castle director Romano Guardini, in particular, wanted to clarify through a change of the association's name that Rothenfels Castle aimed to appeal not only to Quickborn members but to all open-minded Christians. With its statutes of August 27, 1933, the association renamed itself "Vereinigung der Freunde von Burg Rothenfels e.V." (Association of Friends of Rothenfels Castle); Rolf Ammann remained chairman, followed in 1939 by merchant Josef Seipel, Düsseldorf. The association was dissolved by circular decree of the Reichsführer SS and Chief of the German Police on July 24, 1939, and Rothenfels Castle was confiscated on August 7, 1939.

On April 16, 1948, the association was re-established under the chairmanship of Josef Seipel, from October 1948, manufacturer Josef Heinrich Sommer, Düsseldorf, became chairman. In 1961, Ernst Ludwig, president in Saarbrücken, took over the chairmanship, from 1964 Notary Werner Hamelbeck, from 1970 Ministerial Director Dr. Klaus Boisserée, Düsseldorf, from 1971 Administrative Director Friedrich Bayerl, Munich, from 1979 Senior High School Director Dr. Meinulf Barbers, Korschenbroich, from 2007 Physician Mathilde Schaab-Hench, Aschaffenburg.

The members' magazine of the "Vereinigung der Freunde von Burg Rothenfels e.V." is the Burgbrief, since 2003 "konturen – rothenfelser burgbrief."