Most everyone who has driven in the north eastern part of the Odenwald park has seen Veste Otzberg towering high above the surrounding countryside from atop an extinct volcano, just above the small village of Hering. Hering is one of six villages that were joined together in 1972 to form the larger community of Otzberg, and the history of the little town is closely intertwined with that of the fortress.
History
During Carolingian times, Otzberg lay on the southeastern border of the royal kingdom of Dreieich, and it is thought that the region around Veste Otzberg, as well as neighbouring Gross Umstadt, was given to Fulda Abbey in 766 by the Carolingian King Pippin. Fulda Abbey was a relatively young abbey at the time, having been founded in 744 by St. Sturmius, a pupil of Boniface. King Pippin, having been raised in a monastery, would have been eager to ensure his entry into heaven, and thus donated property to the young monastery.
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| The Bergfried, also known as the White Turnip, was the earliest structure built in the complex |
The castle itself was probably built in the late 12th or early 13th century, during the time of Abbot Marquard I of Fulda who sought to secure the abbey estates by building highly-visible castles. With its summit of 367 meters, much higher than the surrounding landscape, the volcano at Hering made a perfect location for this purpose. Though the exact date of the castle’s construction is not known, its first documented mention was in 1231, in which it was called “castrum Othesberg,” and by 1244, the castle had sufficient fortifications to house five castellans and their servants. These castellans (Burgmänner), nobles who were obligated to defend the castle, built houses just below the fortress. This is the origin of the town of Hering, though now only parts of one of the original houses remain.
At some point in the early 13th century, the castle was transferred as a fief (enfeoffed) to the count Palatine of the Rhine. It was redeemed and enfeoffed several times in the 14th century, as well. In 1322, Prince-Abbot Henry VI of Hohenberg transferred the castle and the monastery’s portion of Umstadt to Werner of Anevelt and Engelhard of Frankenstein. In 1374, the estate was redeemed and then again sold as a fief to Ulrich of Hanau, and in 1390, the abbey again transferred the castle at Otzberg, the village of Hering, Umstadt and its Hanau fief to Count Palatine Rupert II.
Otzberg Castle was involved in conflict in both the 16th and 17th century. The first time was in 1504 during the Bavarian Feud. The feud came about because of a succession dispute, causing the Holy Roman Emperor to impose a ban on Count Palatine Philip. An imperial ban was effectively a way of making someone an outlaw. A person under an imperial ban lost all rights and possessions, were considered legally dead and were subsequently excommunicated. Anyone was allowed to rob, injure or even kill a person under an imperial ban. Because Otzberg Castle was a possession of the count of Palatine, the imperial ban put the castle in peril, and it was attacked and seized by Landgrave William II of Hesse. At the Imperial Diet of Constance, Otzberg was returned to the Palatine.
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| Gate House |
In 1621, during the Thirty Years’ War, Otzberg castle was under siege by over 2,000 imperial and Spanish troops under the command of Tilly. The siege lasted three months and resulted in the surrender of the castle, and in 1623 it was awarded to Hesse to compensate for war damages. In 1647, the French, who had entered the war on the side of the Protestants in order to counter the power of the Hapsburgs, took the castle and used it as their base in the area. After the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, Otzberg was again returned to the Palatinate.
In 1711, the castle, still in Palatinate hands, began to lose its military importance and gradually became a facility used to house invalid soldiers and prisoners. Otzberg remained a Palatinate possession until 1802, when it was transferred to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt. It was shut down as a military facility in 1818, and in 1826 the Finance Ministry decreed that certain buildings in the complex should be preserved. The rest were torn down. Since that time, the castle buildings have served as a forestry office, youth hostel and, until today, a restaurant, registry office and museum.
Layout
The oldest building in the complex is the Bergfried, known as the White Turnip due to the use of white plaster on its exterior. The Romanesque, 17 meter tall tower dates from the 13th century and, from its height, allows visitors to see as far as Frankfurt and the Taunus Mountains.
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| The Commandant's House |
In addition to the Bergfried, four other buildings remain. This includes another early construction (cir. 1320), the castle well, which at about 80 meters, is one of the deepest in Hessen. Across from the well house, directly next to the double entry gate, stands the commandant’s house, which houses a restaurant. The commandant’s house was built in 1574 and was later restored with half-timbered construction.
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| Palas and Corporal's House |
On the south side of the complex, you can find the Palas, which now houses a museum and the corporal’s house, which was rebuilt in 1996 and used as a registry office for the municipality. On the west side, between the commandant’s house and the palace, are the foundations of the old barracks house, though this structure was torn down in the 19th century.
Surrounding the complex, the castle is well defended, not only by its natural elevation but also by two defensive ring walls separated by a 10 meter wide defensive courtyard. The natural slope of the volcano protected the castle from artillery and would have made it difficult to use a battering ram against the gate.
Today, the castle makes for fun family outing. Take some time to tour the castle complex, climb the white turnip and explore the interesting little museum. Don't forget to stop by Veste Otzberg restaurant for either a meal or light refreshments in a charming atmosphere of times gone by.
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| Site Plan of Castle - By dennis140 - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1738623 |
Address:
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Burgweg 28, 64853, Otzberg, +49 (0) 6162 71114, Castle Website
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Getting There:
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The "Veste Otzberg" is located near the village of Otzberg-Hering and is signposted. Take the A5 exit "Pfungstadt" and take the B426 direction Mühltal, Reinheim to Otzberg.
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Opening Times:
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The castle complex is open year round during daylight hours. The museum is open Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 11:00 - 18:00.
The restaurant, Veste Otzberg Bergschänke, is open everyday except Monday. See the website above for more information.
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Entrance Fees:
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Entrance to the castle complex is free.
Entrance to the museum is 2.50 euros for adults
Children under 13 are free.
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