First mentioned in 1152, the castle was besieged, captured, and destroyed in 1314 by troops from the Alsatian cities of Strasbourg and Hagenau, accused of harboring robber barons. In its turbulent history, the castle was handed over in 1480, against the wishes of its owner (the Weißenburg Monastery), to Hans von Trotha (popularly known as Hans Trapp), who defied the monastery. He dammed the Wieslauter stream (resulting in a "water feud") and later broke the dam, flooding Weißenburg downstream. Neither the subsequent church excommunication nor the imperial ban deterred the knight, who became a legendary robber baron in the folklore of the Palatinate Forest ("...if you don't behave, Trapp will get you!"). After the castle was destroyed by a lightning strike and rebuilt in the late 19th century, Berwartstein has served as a residential castle with a restaurant and can still be partially visited today.
Daniel F.L. Pistor - a lawyer and speaker of the democratic movement at the "Hambacher Festival" in 1832 - erected the building and adjoining vineyards above Bad Bergzabern, Germany.
Burg Gräfenstein is the ruin of a castle near Merzalben in the district of Südwestpfalz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is one of the most significant castles from the Staufer period in Rhineland-Palatinate. The central structure, including the keep and palas, likely dates back to the 12th century, thus originating from the Staufer era. Gräfenstein was first mentioned in 1237 in a partition document of the Counts of Leiningen.
First mentioned in the 12th century, it is believed to have been a border castle of the Benedictine monastery of Klingenmünster. In 1335, due to the robber-knighthood of its owners, the castle was besieged and destroyed by citizens of Strasbourg, and later passed into the hands of the knightly family of Dürkheim. This family would go on to shape the destiny of Drachenfels for many years and eventually rebuild it. In subsequent feuds, the castle was finally destroyed (razed), and it has remained a ruin to this day. Rock chambers, mighty shield walls, and an impressive view of the Dahner Felsenland make it well worth a visit (cf. https://www.busenberg.de/drachenfels.html ). Refreshments are provided right at the castle ruin.
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Bill Blackwell