Hohenburg Castle

The Homburg (also Homburg o.d. Wern, formerly Hohenberg o.d. Wern) is the ruin of a hilltop castle at 300 m above sea level near Gössenheim in the Lower Franconian district of Main-Spessart. It is considered one of the largest castle ruins in Germany.

The castle was built between 1028 and 1031 by Würzburg ministeriales, namely Reinhart von Hohenberg from Adelsberg. The outer bailey with the Zwinger dates from the early Gothic period (around 1235) and received extensions in the Zwinger area from 1470 onwards.

Dietrich von Hohenberg died in 1381 as the last of his lineage without a male heir. This ended the Reinhart line. His daughter Christine with her husband Konrad IV von Bickenbach was the sole heiress of all Hohenberg property. Thus, Hohenburg belonged to the House of Bickenbach.

All properties of the former Hohenberg estate were sold in 1496 by the House of Bickenbach to the Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg in the person of Prince-Bishop Rudolf II von Scherenberg, Duke of Franconia. The Homburg became an administrative seat in 1492 and received an Amtmann (bailiff).

In 1525, the castle survived the German Peasants' War unscathed; but in 1680, there was a fire in the manor house. This marked the beginning of the gradual decay of the buildings.