(Image copyright: by PantaRhei , CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72803673)
As you can imagine, lands, estates, and castles were of utmost importance to the noble families in the late Middle Ages. The more estates they owned, the more income they generated for the knights, dukes, counts, and earls.
The centre of every nobleman’s power was his castle. We’re taking a look at three of them in this blog post, as they play an important part in our protagonists’ lives in ‘The 11th Code’.
Castle Hachberg
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The castle Hachberg was built in the 11th century and is situated above the village of Emmendingen. Its ruin is quite close to the city of Freiburg. You can drive from the city to the village in under half an hour. Or ride your horse from one location to the other in less than a day.
Hachberg is massive, and must’ve been home to quite a lot of people in its heydays. The castle was self-sufficient and did not rely much on its surrounding villages, as was the usual way back then. It housed a bakery, a granary, a coopery, a mill, a smithy, a prison, and several storehouses.
Margrave Otto of Baden-Hachberg resided in the castle, together with is two younger brothers Hesso and Johans, and his wife Elisabeth Malterer.
You can still visit its ruin today. The view from the little hill it perches on is quite beautiful in spring and summer!
Castle Kastelburg
(Image copyright: by Thomas Berwing CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52928805)
The Kastelburg resides just above the village of Waldkirch, north-east of Freiburg. Compared to the mighty Hachberg it’s puny! However, taken into account that the people of Waldkirch were to supply the castle with food, drink, staff, and everything else it needed, Kastelburg simply didn’t need to be as sprawling as Hachberg.
John Malterer, Martin Malterer’s father, had purchased the castle from the ailing Schwarzenberger family. It had been gifted to Martin in 1354.
Once Martin was married to Anna von Thierstein and they had moved to the Kastelburg, they began to make extensive alterations to the castle. For instance, a rondel was added to the hall, and the keep was raised.
You can still visit its ruins. It’s but a very short walk from Waldkirch up to the Kastelburg. If you do, pay attention to the wooden statues along the way. This is where you will meet our Martin.
Tyrol Castle
(Image copyright: by Heigeheige CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71181996)
Tyrol castle is probably the most picturesque of the three. It sits against the beautiful backdrop of the Austrian Alps, throning above the quaint Tyrol village. Nowadays, it’s a popular tourist destination. It houses a little museum and is quite well preserved.
When it comes to the Habsburgers, the castle only played a minor role in this mighty House’s history. Leopold’s brother Rudolf acquired it from Margarethe of Tyrol in 1363. After Rudolf’s death two years later, it fell to Leopold as part of the separation of estates between the two remaining Habsburger brothers. However, I don’t think Leopold spent a lot of time in the castle, seeing as he was constantly waging war against one enemy or the other.
Nevertheless, these labyrinthine walls see much of Martin and Leopold, and I think that’s part of why it’ll always hold a very special place in my heart =).
The castle has a beautifully preserved chapel with quite iridescent frescoes. The entrance to the chapel is decorated with a roman portal.