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Founded: c. 1250Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)
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Built around 1250 by the lords of Berkule, Calenberg Castle was granted to the Papenheim family in 1307 and later became known as Rave von Calenberg. After a feud over inheritance in 1464, it was resolved in 1471. In 1868, Hugo Schuchard purchased the estate, including the castle, and extensively renovated it from 1880 to 1884. The castle served various purposes over the years, including housing refugees after 1945. In 1972, it was acquired by Karl-Heinz Rehkopf and faithfully restored.
Ehrenbreitstein Fortress was built as the backbone of the regional fortification system, Festung Koblenz, by Prussia between 1817 and 1832 and guarded the middle Rhine region, an area that had been invaded by French troops repeatedly before. The fortress was never attacked.
Early fortifications at the site can be dated back to about 1000 BC. At about AD 1000 Ehrenbert erected a castle. The Archbishops of Trier expanded it with a supporting castle Burg Helferstein and guarded the Holy Tunic in it from 1657 to 1794. Successive Archbishops used the castle's strategic importance to barter between contending powers; thus in 1672 at the outset of war between France and Germany the Archbishop refused requests both from the envoys of Louis XIV and from Brandenburg's Ambassador, Christoph Caspar von Blumenthal, to permit the passage of troops across the Rhine.