Berka Castle

The castle, of which a ruin and a rampart still bear witness, stood one kilometer north of Bad Berka on a mountain spur above the Ilm. Down in the valley, the river changes its course from north to east. From the castle, one could monitor and secure the town and the river crossing from Isseroda to Koitsch. It is assumed that at the end of the 13th century, the castle was moved into the town after the destruction of the first in 1277. It is said to have been used until the 17th century. This now-mentioned noble court is located east of the old town in the Ilm lowlands. Building elevations and farm boundaries indicate the location. Both complexes were probably the seat of the Counts of Berka, who were mentioned in documents in 1123 and also in 1154. Around 1277, the Old Castle was presumably built by Burgrave Herrmann von Berka. In 1608, it fell to the Dukes of Weimar, but was already desolate in 1631, its stones being used for the construction of the arsenal.