Stettenburg Castle

The exact founding date of the castle is not known; when Volkach was first mentioned in 906, neither a village Obervolkach nor a Stettenburg was mentioned. The period of its creation is assumed to be the first half of the 13th century due to the bossed ashlar with a continuous marginal draft. However, at its first mention in 1225, only ditches of a castle (Latin: "iuxta fossatum castri Stettenberg") still existed. It was originally the ancestral seat of the Lords of Stettenberg, feudal tenants of the Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg, among whom the most famous, Eberhard von Stettenberg († 1443), was elected Bishop of Worms in 1426. They are mentioned in a document by Count Rupert zu Castell, who at that time owned vineyards next to Stettenburg. In the 13th century, a mill existed there, the "molendium sub castro" (mill under the castle). In 1339, Friedrich von Castell received permission from Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian to rebuild the castle (purkstal zu Stetenberg). However, the reconstruction never happened because the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg refused his consent. Later, two more castle lords were named, appointed by Bishop Otto von Wolfskeel. Today, the ruin is in private ownership. The Bavarian State Office for Monument Protection lists the ruin as an architectural monument under number D-6-75-174-289, and the ditches and ramparts are registered as an archaeological monument D-6-6127-0106.