Freienstein was a nice surprise, not being originally on my agenda. However, traveling north from the Neckar River I found the castle overlooking the town of Gammelsbach. Parking is below the castle with a short hike up to the site.
Right, a nice view of the castle from the south. Below, a view of the castle along the trail coming from the town below. The remnant of the shield wall can be seen on the right.
Freienstein was begun in 1275 by the lords of Freienstein under the auspices of Konrad, brother of Emperor Frederick Barbarrosa. Its name was first documented in 1286, though one source says 1297. Extensions were added to the gate in 1350, while further extensions were carried out in the 1400s. Later in 1513, an extensive crenelated shield wall that was 18 meters high and 2.2 meters thick was added.
The early castle was possibly originally owned by the Lorsch monastery, and at one point served as the administrative point for 15 villages in the area, including Gammelsbach and Beerfelden. In 1550, it received an extensive renovation.
The castle was besieged several times during the Thirty Years War, and when Beerfelden suffered a serious fire that destroyed over 200 homes, the owner of the abandoned though largely intact structure authorized materials from the castle to be used to help alleviate the suffering of those who lost their homes.
Freienstein was not destroyed during war, but instead was gradually abandoned as too expensive to maintain and thus slowly decayed. In 1731, additional repairs were affected to keep the castle from falling apart, but these were only modestly successful. The collapse of the roof exposed the interior to the elements, and these quickly crumbled. The structure as well as the shield wall were reinforced with iron tie rods, and in 1938 the wall was reduced 3 meters and reinforced with concrete. Ten years later this crumbled due to frost and vegetation and half of it finally collapsed in 1988. The portion that fell buried the coat of arms inscribed on the wall.
Above, a view of Freienstein from the east, along the trail leading to the castle. The overgrown area coves part of the ring wall that was 1.25 meters thick. The portion of the structure to the left is the chapel.
Left, a closeup view of a bay window as part of the ruined St. Nicholas chapel. This was added around 1513 as part of a major renovation.
Right, one of the towers, this on the east side, that helped to defend the ring wall. The homes of Gammelsbach are below.
Overgrown vegetation is one of the serious enemies of ancient ruins, as the roots work through cracks in the mortar and between stones to pry them apart.
The area to the right of the tower is where the main gate was, which included a drawbridge over the dry moat.
Left, a view of the dry moat with remains of the ring wall visible on the right. This view is looking northeast.
Below, the foundation of palas on the west side. Note how the mortar between the stones is decaying, and how the stones are stacked almost loosely on top of the living rock below.
Left, a piece of wall that once formed either a gate or bridge in the moat.
