Krayenburg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Krayenburg was a castle situated on the Krayenberg, having the townships of Tiefenort and Merkers-Kieselbach at its foot, and overlooking an extensive section of the Werratal.
The history of the Krayenburg castle began on 0786-08-31 when Charlemagne gifted the village Dorndorf, inclusive all of its belongings, to Hersfeld Abbey. The abbey built the Krayenburg to protect its newly gained property. In the sequel, the castle changed ownership repeatedly and had a heyday when owned by Graf Adam von Beichlingen (who died on 1538-08-07 and is buried in the church in Tiefenort). The Thirty Years' War started the destruction of the castle when Croatian troops (under Johann Ludwig Hektor von Isolani) captured the Krayenburg. However, it still played an important role in German history until the 19th century. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe visited the castle in 1782 (i.e., in the year when he was ennobled).
Today, visitors (if by car, then using the road via Tiefenort) can enjoy carefully restored parts (ruins) of the originally very large castle (e.g., at its heyday larger than todays Wartburg Castle) and a restaurant with hotel on its former site. A tower allows a wide view into the Werratal.
