Ziegenrück Castle

The Kemenate Ziegenrück is located in Ziegenrück in the Saale-Orla district. Ziegenrück belongs to the special type of Kemenaten found in the area of the upper Saale-Elster line.

The former settlement of Ziegenrück Castle and the later town lies in the deeply cut valley of the meandering Saale between the Bleiloch Dam upstream and the Hohenwarte Reservoir downstream. At that time, the Saale wound almost untouched between Burgk to the settlement of Ziegenrück and further between forested mountains, meadows, and fields. The former moated castle of Sornitz, located further north in the deserted village of Sornitz (Moxa), was probably an outwork of Ziegenrück Castle.

Above and north of the settlement of Ziegenrück lies the Kemenate Ziegenrück. It was the Kemenate of the former Ziegenrück Castle. The castle was strategically located on a rocky spur high above the town and the Saale, between the Drehba and Sormitz valleys, with extremely steep slopes on three sides. Ditches divided the complex into three sections and secured the access road to the castle. The first two ditches are still present.

The residential building, the Kemenate, dates from the 15th century and has a footprint of 17x13 meters and a height of 20 meters. The wall thickness is 1.6 to 1.8 meters. The building contains a cellar and four floors. The windows are unevenly distributed, and evenly spaced loopholes are placed under the roof. The residential tower of Ziegenrück has siblings in the Saale valley in Reinstädt and Orlamünde. The keep had a diameter of 10 meters and was demolished in 1775. The outlines of the foundations are still visible.

The castle belonged to the imperial estate complex of Saalfeld and was mentioned in 1222. It served to monitor and secure the Saale river crossing for the then north-south road. The owner was the Count of Orlamünde. In the early 14th century, it passed to the Landgrave of Thuringia. Temporarily, Vogt Heinrich II Reuss von Plauen was also the owner. From 1448–1481, the castle was pledged to the Lords of Obernitz. In 1485, it came into the possession of the Ernestine line of the Wettins and served as an administrative seat. After several fires, the castle was partially demolished and rebuilt in the 18th and 19th centuries. For a long time, it served as a youth hostel. Now, a hotel is under discussion.