Lichtenburg Castle (Ruin)

The Lichtenburg is a castle ruin near Ostheim vor der Rhön in Bavaria. The first documented mention of the castle dates back to 1159; at that time, it was owned by a collateral line of the Hennebergs. The founder of the castle was probably Heinrich I von Henneberg-Irmelshausen, and the most significant lord of the castle was the minnesinger Otto I von Henneberg-Botenlauben.

In 1230, the Lichtenburg was referred to as a Castrum in a deed of sale. The Fulda abbot Heinrich VI had the castle better fortified and the keep erected in 1315. From this time on, the Amt Lichtenberg was administered and protected from the Lichtenburg. Around the middle of the 14th century, the castle came back into the possession of the Hennebergs, this time the Henneberg-Römhild branch of the family, and later into Saxon possession. The Peasants' War brought greater destruction in the 16th century, but reconstruction was swift. The last bailiff, Friedrich Sebastian von Stein, left the castle in 1680. The administration of the Amt Lichtenberg was henceforth carried out from Ostheim, and the Lichtenburg lost its importance as an administrative seat.

At the same time, in 1671/1672, it was once again equipped for military purposes for a short time. During the Imperial War against France, it received an iron-clad gate and new ramparts. In 1719, it was finally abandoned and was to be demolished.

Carl August von Weimar acquired the complex, and Ernst August von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach had restoration work carried out on the decaying structure in the middle of the 18th century, which, however, was discontinued again in 1744. From 1811, the complex even served as a quarry for the people of Ostheim and was again left to destruction. In two steps, in 1819 and 1843, the then government bought up the remains. An association for the preservation of the castle and the beautification of its surroundings took care of the Lichtenburg.