Burgruine Breitenstein

From the year 1305, the darkness lifts: In this year of the explicit admonition of the citizens, a previous change of ownership becomes apparent. The complex had evidently become a joint inheritance castle in the meantime, for at that time, Knight Walt of Bechtheim pledged his share of the castle to Count Heinrich of Raugraf. 

In the year 1339, Burggraf Jakob von Flörsheim, a squire, promised for himself and his heirs, referred to as the future Burggrafen von Breitenstein, to open the castle to his landlord Johann Count von Sponheim and to stand by him against everyone. However, the Pfalzgrafen, the Counts of Leiningen, and of Saarwerden were exempted from this promise of assistance. Noteworthy, however, were especially the explicit sales ban and the agreement not to relinquish parts of the castle to the Bishop of Speyer and Raugraf Ruprecht as well as Balthasar von Meckenheim and Herr Jakob's son von Ruppertsberg against the will of the Sponheimer. 

A significant role in the further history of Breitenstein was played by the aforementioned Lords of Flörsheim, who managed to establish a foothold at the castle for a longer period in the first half of the 14th century. Accordingly, by 1380, Knight Johann von Flörsheim and his heirs had possession of the (whole?) Breitenstein along with all its accessories as a manorial fief of Sponheim. This feudal relationship is still documented in a manorial book of the Vorderen Grafschaft Sponheim in 1438 retrospectively (Regesten (urkundliche Verzeichnisse) des Archivs der Grafen von Sponheim 1065-1437, 1987).

The history of Breitenstein after 1398 (cf. Burgfrieden) is only fragmentarily transmitted, ultimately unclear. Probably immediately after the extinction of the Sponheim in 1437, the castle came to the Counts of Leiningen-Rixingen, who immediately fortified the complex. Obviously, this remained without discernible benefit, as shortly thereafter the castle fell into ruin. 

Since the beginning of the 19th century, Breitenstein has been owned by the Bürklin-Wolf family from Wachenheim, who had presumably acquired the ruins and the forest as part of the national property auction. Today, Breitenstein is owned by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, which conducted excavations and stabilization measures from 1988 to 1989.

The palace and ring wall in the middle of the castle ring stand on a steep rock block. The castle was destroyed in 1470 and recently restored.

Copyright notice: The content presented here is protected by copyright. The displayed media may be subject to additional copyright conditions that are indicated on them. Recommended citation: “Castle Ruin Breitenstein in the Elmstein Valley.” In: KuLaDig, Kultur.Landschaft.Digital. URL: https://www.kuladig.de/Objektansicht/KLD-283527 (Accessed: April 21, 2021)

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