Museum
CastleErlensee
Rückingen Castle (Erlensee)
The moated castle of Rückingen is the remnant of a medieval castle complex in Erlensee-Rückingen, Main-Kinzig-Kreis in Hesse. It is located north of the Kinzig river near the center of Rückingen, a district of Erlensee. The moated castle now houses a local history museum, which is managed by the Geschichtsverein Erlensee e.V. (Erlensee History Association).
The moated castle is first mentioned in a document in 1248 as castri Ruggingin. A castle already stood here in the 10th century. The castle was a Mainz fief, initially held by the Lords of Brauneck, and from 1463 by the Counts of Isenburg. As a sub-fief, it was passed on to the closely related Lords of Rückingen and Lords of Rüdigheim.
Because the co-heir Johann von Rüdigheim acted as a robber knight, particularly raiding market ships on the Main and Kinzig, the castle was destroyed on February 17, 1405, under King Ruprecht, along with other castles in the region such as Hüttelngesäß or Mömbris, and was initially not allowed to be rebuilt. Johann had to swear an oath of fealty and was only allowed to build an unfortified farm east of the castle, the so-called "Herrenhof" (Lord's Manor), which was demolished in 1909.
In the Knights' War of 1522, the castle was again attacked by a princely coalition of Hesse, Palatinate, and Trier and destroyed by Landgrave Philipp of Hesse, as Philipp von Rüdigheim sided with Franz von Sickingen. In 1569, the castle was rebuilt, which is also indicated by the year on a walled-in coat of arms stone of Eitel von Rückingen and Adelheit Roth von Burg-Schwalbach.
During the Thirty Years' War, Rückingen was burned down by Croats, which likely also affected the castle. In 1666, the Lords of Rüdigheim died out. Several changes of ownership followed until the castle reverted to Isenburg in 1756 as a lapsed fief. From the 19th century, the castle was in private ownership and was used as an agricultural enterprise from about 1860. During this time, the moats were also filled in. After its acquisition by the municipality of Erlensee, the local history museum opened in its rooms in 1983.
Complex+
The castle has an approximately rectangular shape. The presumed main building with a round corner tower and the curtain wall, still at a considerable height, are preserved in the north of the complex. The substance visible today largely dates from the first half of the 15th century. The southern part of the castle was later built over with a barn.
The castle was originally a moated castle. The former castle moats were directly connected to the Kinzig. They are now filled in and occupied approximately the space corresponding to the area east of today's parking lot, north of today's street, and west of the square in front of the castle. A visible keyhole embrasure still indicates the existence of the moat, as it is far too low for the current ground level.
Smaller archaeological investigations in 1988 by the Hanauer Geschichtsverein and in 2001 provided indications that the castle was larger in a previous construction phase than the part still visible today.
Local History Museum+
The local history museum primarily displays a large collection of local historical exhibits from Rückingen and Langendiebach. One section is dedicated to the nearby Roman fort of Rückingen with finds from the Roman period, including particularly ceramic finds.
Take Mobile History with you
You are reading this text for free. Premium adds what matters on the road: descriptions read aloud, sites found through your camera, whole regions taken offline.
- Every description, including the ~17,700 Premium sites
- Audio guide: have descriptions read to you on location
- AR finder: see sites through your camera, with distance and bearing
- Unlimited saved sites
14 days free, then from €2.99 a month. Cancel anytime.
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: 50.1550, 8.9942