Habichtsburg Castle

The Habichtsburg was built to protect an exclave of the Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg, which from 1008 to 1542 included the city of Meiningen and the village of Walldorf. Its strategic importance lay in monitoring important trade routes leading from Gotha to Würzburg, Fulda, and Frankfurt am Main. In the 12th century, the castle came into the possession of Count Goswin von Stahleck, whose son sold it in 1256 to finance the Bildhausen monastery. With the shifting of trade routes, the Habichtsburg lost its military relevance and gradually fell into disrepair. Reconstruction was prohibited by the Würzburgers.