Mandach Castle: A Medieval Ruin in Germany
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 3
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Germany
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page8 sections
History
Mandach Castle, also called Weiler Castle, is a medieval ruin near Riedern am Wald in Ühlingen-Birkendorf, Germany. It is dated to the 14th century, although its construction history is uncertain. The Lords of Ühlingen may once have held their seat there.
Medieval owners
The Lords of Mandach later appear as owners. The castle’s name may have come from the family, or the Lords of Mandach may have taken their name from the castle. The family’s ancestral seat was in the Zürichgau, the medieval region around Zurich, near Regensberg; they also held estates in the Alb and Klettgau. A settlement called Mandach in Aargau and a former small castle near Bad Zurzach share the name. The Lords of Mandach had served as ministeriales, members of the medieval service nobility who served rulers or churches, under the Prince-Bishopric of Constance, a territory ruled by a bishop with secular authority. Their coat of arms survives in the arms of the Aargau village of Mandach. The family name disappeared from the region during the 15th century.
Heinrich von Erzingen is linked to the castle around 1352. The Erzingen family held it until its line died out around 1501, when the castle was sold to Lukas von Reischach. He later sold it to St. Blasien, a Benedictine abbey in the Black Forest. The abbey had the property administered by bailiffs, officials who represented its interests.
Later transfers and abandonment
Christoph von Mandach served at Ettlingen as chief bailiff to the Margrave of Baden, a ruler of a border territory within the Holy Roman Empire. In 1610, his widow Euphrosine bequeathed her rights to the monastery at Riedern am Wald. The castle was probably abandoned afterward.
Remains
Surviving structures
The ruin occupies a granite rocky spur above the Mettma valley, near Riedern am Wald. It is a spur castle, built on a projecting ridge. Trees have overgrown the remains, and masonry has slipped down the slope over the centuries.
Round tower foundation
A foundation wall survives from a round corner tower. The structure may instead have served as a cistern.
Moat pier
A remnant of a bridge pier stands in the moat and may have formed part of a drawbridge.
Southern perimeter wall
About half of the southern perimeter wall retains its facing masonry. Along the remaining section, the inner core is exposed.
