To be privately owned
CastleZwingenberg
Zwingenberg Castle
Zwingenberg Castle, also known as Zwingenburg or Zwingenberg Palace, is located in the Baden-Württemberg municipality of Zwingenberg on the right bank of the Neckar in its breakthrough valley through the Odenwald. The spur castle was built on a spur in the delta of the steep Wolfschlucht gorge and the Neckar valley, and lies about 50 meters above the river.
The castle was probably built in the 13th century by the Staufer ministerialis Wilhelm von Wimpfen. The first documented mention dates from 1326. A nephew of Wilhelm von Wimpfen called himself von Zwingenberg. Since the Zwingenbergers were considered robber barons, they were expelled from the castle in 1363 and it was razed in the name and on behalf of the emperor. The Lords of Hirschhorn, who were enfeoffed with Zwingenburg in 1403, rebuilt it. After their line died out, ownership changed between Kurmainz, Kurpfalz and the Grand Duchy of Baden. The current lord of the castle is Ludwig Prince of Baden (*1937), a descendant of Grand Duke Karl Friedrich of Baden.
Above Zwingenberg Castle, there are still remains of Fürstenstein Castle.
Castle Festival+
Since 1983, the open-air Castle Festival has taken place annually in August at Zwingenberg Castle. Since the neighboring Wolfschlucht gorge is said to have served Carl Maria von Weber as a model for his opera Der Freischütz, this opera is the focus of the Castle Festival. However, other operas and operettas as well as musicals are also performed. The venue is the large castle courtyard, which is characterized by good acoustics and can accommodate around 800 guests. The artistic direction of the Castle Festival, held by Karsten Huschke since 2008, will be taken over by Rainer Roos from the 2015 season.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image: Dr. Gebhard Gaukler
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: 49.4218, 9.0331