Location: Freusburg Siedlung, Rhineland-Palatinate Map
Constructed: 10th century
The Freusburg is an early medieval hilltop castle on a hilltop high above the Sieg valley in Freusburg, a district of Kirchen in the district of Altenkirchen (Westerwald) in Rhineland-Palatinate. The nearby settlement of Freusburg is named after the hilltop castle.
The Freusburg was first mentioned in 913 under the
name Fruodeesbraderofanc (Bifanc on the Fruodberg). Bifanc means farm or
manor house. The first documented entry dates back to 1048.
It is
estimated that the actual castle was built around 1100. The castle was
first mentioned by name in 1247 in connection with a division of an
inheritance. From 1378 it was a fief of the Electorate of Trier. Around
the year 1580, Count Heinrich IV von Sayn had the castle renovated.
Around the time of the Thirty Years' War, the castle was occupied by
Electoral Trier soldiers from 1606 to 1633 and from 1637 to 1652. In
1896 it came into the possession of the Prussian forest treasury and
served as a forest dwelling for many years.
The castle complex
has been used as a youth hostel since 1928. Over time, the hostel needed
to be updated. On October 23, 1986, after a complete renovation and a
generous extension, the Freusburg was ceremoniously reopened by the then
Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker. With around 60,000 overnight
stays per year, it is now one of the most visited youth hostels in
Germany.
From the Freusburg you have a view of the surrounding
forest landscape and the Siegtal with the Freusburger mill.
The structural development of the complex in the High and Late Middle Ages is largely unclear due to a lack of architectural historical research. In the sketch of the imperial-free rule of Wildenburg from 1595, Freusburg is depicted very schematically as a hilltop castle with a pointed helmeted main tower. Parts of the surrounding wall of the main castle have a herringbone wall bond and probably belong to the high medieval building stock. The three-story south wing, built over a high basement, was built using older masonry around 1580 under Henry IV of Sayn (Heinrichsbau). From the name "Trierischer Bau" for the north-west wing it can be concluded that renovation work was carried out on the building during the Electorate of Trier's occupation of the castle in 1606-33 and 1637-52. The two flank towers of the curtain wall date to the 14th/15th century. Century. In the 1980s, a modern extension to the main castle was built on the site of older farm buildings. The partially ruinous complex was restored in the 1920s by the architect Ernst Stahl. (Jens Friedhoff)
The remaining fortifications of the place, which was first described as a valley settlement in 1367, served as the outermost line of defense. The main castle of the two-part complex occupies the highest part of the mountain spur. The end of the 16th century deserves special attention. built the “Heinrichsbau” with its polygonal bay window. The integrated three-quarter round flank tower on the southwest corner probably comes from a previous building. The curtain wall of the outer bailey is flanked by its three-quarter round towers with longitudinal rectangular embrasures. On the east side there is a small bastion from the 17th century next to the gate. The east and north sides of the castle are secured by a moat carved into the rock. (Jens Friedhoff)
Local advisory board
Freusburg is designated as a local district
of the city of Kirchen (Sieg) and has a local advisory board and an
honorary mayor.
Since the last election, the local council
has consisted of eight local council members. In the local elections
on May 26, 2019, these advisory board members were elected in a
personalized proportional representation.
Rail transport
Freusburg has a railway stop of the same name on
the Sieg line, which is served by trains on the RB90
(Westerwald-Sieg-Bahn) Kreuztal-Siegen-Wissen (Sieg) -Au (Sieg)
-Altenkirchen (Westerwald) -Hachenburg-Nistertal / Bad Marienberg-
Westerburg-Diez East Limburg an der Lahn as well as the line RB93
(Rothaarbahn) Bad Berleburg-Kreuztal-Siegen-Betzdorf (Sieg) of the
Hessische Landesbahn HLB, area Dreiländerbahn according to the
Rhineland-Palatinate cycle is approached every hour in both
directions.
Road traffic
Freusburg is on the B 62.