Eberbach Castle Ruins, Eberbach, Germany

Eberbach Castle consists of three separate castles situated about 160 metres high above the river Neckar. It is assumed that the front castle was built in the last quarter of the 12th century, the middle castle ca. 1200 and the rear castle in the second quarter of the 13th century. In 1227 King Henry VII was given Eberbach Castle as a fief by the Bishop of Worms. Presumably the castles remained in the possession of the empire until 1330. After that, the castles were pledged to the palsgraves who subsequently used them as a bailiwick of the Electoral Palatinate.

In 1402 Ruprecht III of the Palatinate pledged the town and the castles to the knight Hans von Hirschhorn. In 1403 he obtained permission from the king to demolish and raze the castle, since presumably it was not of any use, but only entailed costs. He thus got rid of competitors for his castles in Hirschhorn and Zwingenberg. By and by the ruins were dismantled and their stones used for building projects in Eberbach, in particular for building walls to fend off game in order to protect the fields lying next to the woodland. Excavations in 1908-09 and 1927-28 exposed the remains of the front and middle castles, and some parts were reconstructed. From 1959-1963 systematic scientific research was carried out, and the rear castle was reconstructed in parts.

References:

Burgenstrasse

User Reviews

Pintér Tivesz (2 years ago)
Super

Manuel Rupp (3 years ago)
Ist zwar als Burgruine nicht mehr viel übrig, aber die Aussicht ist spitze!

Yasha Wen (3 years ago)
Sehr schöner Ausblick und wundervolle Atmosphäre. Wer für Ruinen dieser Art etwas übrig hat der wird hier auf seine Kosten kommen.

Muhammad Malik Ar Rahiem (3 years ago)
The ruin is nice, a good trekking route. It can be reached easily from Eberbach about 30-40 minutes walking. Near the ruin we can found the outcrops of Buntsandstein which indicating the location of Buntsandstein formation. During my last visit, I saw some families gathered in the open field near the burg. I sense that this is also a good place to visit with your families and friend to have some outdoor time together.

phammann (3 years ago)
Cool ruins great place to visit but long walk up

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Heraclea Lyncestis

Heraclea Lyncestis was an ancient Greek city in Macedon, ruled later by the Romans. It was founded by Philip II of Macedon in the middle of the 4th century BC. The city was named in honor of the mythological hero Heracles. The name Lynkestis originates from the name of the ancient kingdom, conquered by Philip, where the city was built.

Heraclea was a strategically important town during the Hellenistic period, as it was at the edge of Macedon"s border with Epirus to the west and Paeonia to the north, until the middle of the 2nd century BC, when the Romans conquered Macedon and destroyed its political power. The main Roman road in the area, Via Egnatia went through Heraclea, and Heraclea was an important stop. The prosperity of the city was maintained mainly due to this road.

The Roman emperor Hadrian built a theatre in the center of the town, on a hill, when many buildings in the Roman province of Macedonia were being restored. It began being used during the reign of Antoninus Pius. Inside the theatre there were three animal cages and in the western part a tunnel. The theatre went out of use during the late 4th century AD, when gladiator fights in the Roman Empire were banned, due to the spread of Christianity, the formulation of the Eastern Roman Empire, and the abandonment of, what was then perceived as, pagan rituals and entertainment.

Late Antiquity and Byzantine periods

In the early Byzantine period (4th to 6th centuries AD) Heraclea was an important episcopal centre. A small and a great basilica, the bishop"s residence, and a funerary basilica and the necropolis are some of the remains of this period. Three naves in the Great Basilica are covered with mosaics of very rich floral and figurative iconography; these well preserved mosaics are often regarded as fine examples of the early Christian art period.

The city was sacked by Ostrogoth/Visigoth forces, commanded by Theodoric the Great in 472 AD and again in 479 AD. It was restored in the late 5th and early 6th century. When an earthquake struck in 518 AD, the inhabitants of Heraclea gradually abandoned the city. Subsequently, at the eve of the 7th century, the Dragovites, a Slavic tribe pushed down from the north by the Avars, settled in the area. The last coin issue dates from ca. 585, which suggests that the city was finally captured by the Slavs. As result, in place of the deserted city theatre several huts were built.

The Episcopacy Residence was excavated between 1970 and 1975. The western part was discovered first and the southern side is near the town wall. The luxury rooms are located in the eastern part. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th rooms all have mosaic floors. Between the 3rd and 4th rooms there is a hole that led to the eastern entrance of the residence. The hole was purposefully created between the 4th and 6th century.

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