Youth hostel
CastleHeppenheim
Starkenburg Castle
The Starkenburg is a hilltop castle at 295 m above sea level on the so-called Schlossberg above Heppenheim on the Bergstraße. It is the namesake of the former South Hessian province of Starkenburg.
The castle was built in 1065 to protect the Lorsch Monastery. Initially, its name was Burcheldon. The name Starkimberg was first mentioned in 1206. In the eventful history of the monastery, the castle always offered refuge and protection for the monks.
As the second strongest fortress of the Electorate of Mainz, it covered the Mainz Bergstraße. In 1765, the castle was abandoned and fell into disrepair.
On Wednesday, October 22, 1924, the dilapidated keep of the Starkenburg was blown up at 2:45 PM. The demolition of the structure, with wall thicknesses of up to three meters in the lower floors, was a major operation: 1500 cubic meters of stone had to be blasted away.
While the demolition of the old keep was unavoidable due to its structural condition, the new construction of the keep in a different location, completed by 1930 (with the exception of the spire added only in 1957), was an avoidable violation of monument protection concerns. Instead of placing it in the center of the castle courtyard, the new building was placed at its western entrance to gain a larger open space in the courtyard.
Layout+
Today, the ruin is a protected monument and is managed by Hessisches Immobilienmanagement. Since 1960, a youth hostel, operated by the German Youth Hostel Association, has been located on the site of the former residential building, the Palas.
Due to the severe decay of the complex in the 19th century, only a small amount of historical building fabric has been preserved. This includes, in addition to the south-east corner of the Palas, especially the redoubts, which are still recognizable today in the forest area in front of the castle.
During path construction work in the outer area in preparation for the Hessentag in Heppenheim in 2004, the buried entrance gate of the original castle complex was discovered in the southwestern part of the complex. The work to secure the structure, which was combined with a reorganization of the circular path, lasted until 2006.
There are only a few records of the historical appearance of the Starkenburg, as many archive materials were lost on September 11, 1944, during the bombing of Darmstadt in the state archive there. The few existing engravings and etchings provide little information about the internal layout of the castle complex and the buildings that were formerly present there. The numerous reconstruction attempts (e.g., visible as a model in the foyer of the youth hostel on the Starkenburg) differ significantly in many details.
Legends+
The Starkenburg is surrounded by the legends of the ghosts Melampus, the guardian spirit of the castle, and the White Lady. There is also said to be, or have been, a secret passage from Lorsch Monastery to the Starkenburg.
Take Mobile History with you
You are reading this text for free. Premium adds what matters on the road: descriptions read aloud, sites found through your camera, whole regions taken offline.
- Every description, including the ~17,700 Premium sites
- Audio guide: have descriptions read to you on location
- AR finder: see sites through your camera, with distance and bearing
- Unlimited saved sites
14 days free, then from €2.99 a month. Cancel anytime.
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: 49.6461, 8.6486