Freienstein Castle (Ruin) (Gammelsbach)

Freienstein Castle is a ruined castle near Beerfelden high above the Gammelsbach district in the Odenwaldkreis.

The castle was in a strategically favorable position on a spur above the Gammelsbach, a tributary of the Neckar. The B 45, one of the most important regional traffic connections, still runs through the rather narrow valley at this point. Freienstein Castle once controlled this route from the Neckar region northwards into the Main valley. At the same time, it marked the southernmost point of Erbach's possessions. The mountain spur on which the castle is located belongs to the Weckberg as part of the Hirschhorner Höhe, a ridge running approximately in a north-south direction.

“Freienstein Castle” was first mentioned in 1297. The builders of the castle are unknown. It is likely to have originated following the dissolution of the Imperial Abbey of Lorsch, in the triangular relationship between the Palatine Counts, the Schenken von Erbach, and Electoral Mainz.

Various clues in the existing building fabric also point to this period. Two preserved but walled-up Gothic pointed arch windows are likely to date from the second half of the 13th century. Furthermore, in an early construction phase, a mighty residential tower, which can be identified as a keep, can be reconstructed in place of the later shield wall.

The Lords of Freienstein have been documented since 1280 and later as Erbach castlemen in the castle. Furthermore, the Echter, von Schöllenbach, and possibly the von Hochhausen can be inferred, who are frequently found as ministerials in the vicinity of the County of Erbach.

In later times, it served the Counts of Erbach to secure their southern border, monitor traffic in the Gammelsbach valley, and as the seat of the Freienstein office. The castle remained in the undivided possession of the Erbach line of the Schenken until their extinction in 1503, while the surrounding Zent Beerfelden was in the joint possession of the Erbach line and the Reichenberg-Fürstenau line.

With the end of the Middle Ages, the castle was no longer suitable as a defensive structure. Around 1550, a reconstruction followed, which now emphasized the representative character of the complex through the squat residential buildings. The castle was used by the Counts of Erbach for occasional hunting stays and as a secondary residence. From the time of the Thirty Years' War, the complex began to decay and was only maintained provisionally. Nevertheless, it was plundered by Bavarian cavalry in May 1622. A view from 1629 still shows it in a reasonably intact condition. With the Erbach inheritance division in 1717, it came into the possession of the Erbach-Fürstenau line, which still owns the castle today.

A fire in Gammelsbach in 1810 prompted Count Albert zu Erbach-Fürstenau to provide the population with bricks and timber from the castle. Since then, water has been able to penetrate the sandstone masonry and damage it sustainably. Around 1890, the shield wall was secured with a tie rod and in 1938, it was reduced by three meters. Further securing measures took place in 1906–14, yet the wall largely collapsed in 1988, while further securing had begun, so that it pulled down the already erected scaffolding. From 1990–94, extensive restoration of the outer walls took place.