To be privately owned
CastleAmorbach
Templar house
The Templerhaus in Amorbach is a medieval building of the fortified house type in the Lower Franconian district of Miltenberg.
The first documented owner of the building was the noble family Rüdt von Collenberg. They used the building until the construction of Bödigheim Castle (approx. 1286–1296). The Templerhaus was subsequently sold. A renovation took place in 1291, during which the stone substructure was partially removed and the two half-timbered upper floors, dendrochronologically dated, were added.
Subsequently, the so-called Rüdenhof was in the hands of lower nobility owners until it came into bourgeois possession in the 15th century. In 1981, the city of Amorbach acquired the Templerhaus and had it professionally renovated, which enabled building history investigations by the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation.
Building+
The Templerhaus is a tower-like building on a slightly skewed stone substructure (7.60 × 6.80 m). This probably represents the oldest part of the building and consists of layered masonry with carefully hewn cornerstones. The only opening is a narrow light slit. Above it is a two-story, high-quality half-timbered structure.
The extent of the associated courtyard and the question of the fortification of the complex is largely unclear. Apparently, it was not, like other buildings of this type, surrounded by a pond or lake (moated house).
Interpretation+
Among numerous very similar buildings of this type, the Templerhaus in Amorbach is one of the best known. They usually represent a typical form of a small, castle-like noble residence, which is very common especially in southern Germany (so-called moated house). Very similar complexes are located in Topplerschlösschen near Rothenburg ob der Tauber, regionally in the Odenwald in the Erbacher Templerhaus, in the Mühlhäuser Schlößchen or in the Götzenturm of Hettigenbeuern.
The regionally frequent designation as Templerhaus is also found in Erbach; former Templerhäuser existed in Neckarelz, Uissigheim, and Kleinwallstadt. The large number contradicts the fact that the Templar Order was hardly represented in Germany. Mostly, the designations only arose in modern times; in the case of the Amorbacher Templerhaus, it goes back to a description of Amorbach from 1856.
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
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: 49.6451, 9.2171