Old Castle Mersburg

The exact date of construction of the Old Castle is unknown. One of the theories ascribes its foundation to the Merovingian king Dagobert I (c. 608-639). The presence of Dagobert on Lake Constance is historically confirmed: around 640, he built here the eastern outskirts of his state and tried to convert the Alemans to Christianity . To protect trade and military routes, he could also order the construction of an observation tower on a high hill above the lake, which in memory of the king is called the Dagobert Tower. This version is based on the Swiss chronicle of 1548, which, in turn, must have its earlier sources. On the other hand, this theory was disseminated only from the 19th century, thanks to Baron Lassberg (Joseph von Laßberg), who bought the castle in 1837 and lived in it until 1855.

The toponym "Merdesburch" (Merdesburch), associated with Mersburg, first found in writing in 1147. Somewhat earlier, in the chronicle for 1113, a certain Luitpold de Merdesburch was mentioned. Although it is unclear whether this refers to a castle, or a settlement with that name. In this sense, it is also not known for certain whether the city arose around the castle, or vice versa: whether a fortification (Dagobert tower) was first built in a strategic place, under the protection of which people began to settle later, or the castle was built to protect an already existing village. From the point of view of the history of architecture, the massive rectangular base of the Dagobert tower can be attributed to both the VII and XII-XIII centuries.

Another theory indicates that the vast majority of castles on Lake Constance date from the 12th – 13th centuries, and that the architecture of the castle of Mersburg should also date back to this period. And the assumption that the early buildings were lost over time does not find its actual confirmation. Therefore, the version of Karl Martell staying in the castle of Mersburg remains quite unsteady. However, with a high degree of probability it can be argued that Frederick II (emperor of the Holy Roman Empire) and Konradin , the last of the Staufen dynasty, stayed in the castle.

In the middle of the XIII century, the castle with the surrounding lands passed into the possession of the Constantine bishops, and was periodically used as a summer residence.

In 1334, as a result of the conflict between the papal and imperial parties over the occupation of the vacant episcopal department, the castle survived probably the longest siege in its history (14 weeks). With the support of Pope John XXII , Nikolai Frauenfeldsky was elected bishop of the house , which was contested by his rival Albrecht of Hohenberg, who was patronized by Emperor Ludwig of Bavaria . Ultimately, the castle with Nikolai Frauenfeldsky who took refuge in it was besieged by imperial troops, and according to testimonies, for the first time large-caliber firearms were used on German soil. Meanwhile, the castle resisted, which allowed Nikolai Frauenfeldsky to retain his title; on the other hand, the retreat of the imperial forces meant a failure in Swabian politics of Ludwig of Bavaria, which also strengthened the position of the Habsburgs in southern Germany.

In 1414, the emperor Sigismund stayed in the castle on the occasion of the Constance Cathedral .

At the beginning of the sixteenth century, at the height of the Reformation, the city ​​council of Constanta announced the introduction of a new religion, which exacerbated the previously difficult relations of bishops with a free imperial city . As a result, in 1526, Bishop Hugo von Hohenlandenberg decided to move the residence to Mersburg, which generally remained faithful to the old faith. This made the castle of Mersburg the control center of the largest Catholic bishopric in the area north of the Alps. Around the same time, the Dagobert tower, which once stood separately, was built into the general structure of the castle’s residential and representative premises, and in addition it received an additional two floors with a characteristic step completion.

During the Thirty Years War in 1647, the castle was unsuccessfully besieged by Swedish troops, as a result of which, however, only the roof of the main tower was damaged.

By the beginning of the XVIII century, the castle premises no longer corresponded to the notions of comfort, which served as the reason for the construction of the New Palace in the neighborhood and the transfer of the episcopal chambers there. After 1750, the Old Castle was used primarily by the episcopal administration.

The mediatization of 1802 meant the abolition of the Constantine bishopric and the transfer of the castle to the Margraves of Baden . The Provincial Administration was located in the Old Castle, and then, in 1814, the District Court of the Baden Lake District, as a branch of the court in Donaueschingen (until 1836).

In 1838, the castle was acquired by the Germanist and bibliophile Josef von Lassberg (1770–1855), and thereby actually saved it from the threat of gradual destruction. The premises of the former archive housed its rich book collection, including rare medieval manuscripts purchased at public auctions for the sale of secularized church property. Among other things, Lassberg owned the “list C” of the Song of the Nibelungs , which at one time was considered the most complete version of the now lost original work. In the period from 1841 to 1848 (intermittently), his sister-in-law, poetess Annette von Droste zu Hülshoff , stayed with the Lassberg family, creating her most famous works in the castle walls.

After Lassberg's death in 1855, his family continued to live in the castle until in 1877 his daughters Hildegard and Hildegund were forced to sell it to Karl Mayer von Meyerfels (1825-1883), a famous heraldry and collector from Munich, in 1877. Meyerfels reconstructed the Old Castle with the intention of placing his extensive medieval collections in it and opening a museum. In 1883, the castle was inherited by the widow of Mayerfels, and then in 1910, their eldest daughter Ida and her husband Alphonse von Miller, whose brother Oscar von Miller was one of the founders of the Munich German Museum . The daughter of Ida von Meyerfels and Alfons von Miller, Maria, to whom inheritance rights were transferred in 1939, and her husband Hubert Naeßl, an architect from Mersburg, expanded the castle museum and, in general, contributed to turning the Old Castle into one of the main tourist attractions on Lake Constance.

Tourists have access to more than 30 different rooms with samples of furniture, weapons, objects of art and everyday life of the Middle Ages and early Modern times, as well as a torture chamber. With a guided tour (only in German and only in the summer season) as part of a group, you can climb the Dagobert tower and enjoy a beautiful view of the city of Mersburg lying at the foot of the castle and surrounded by vineyards, Lake Constance, the city of Konstanz and Switzerland with snowy towers the peaks of the Alps.

Museum opening hours and ticket prices

Summer season: daily from 9:00 to 18:30. Cash desk closes at 18:00. Excursions: from 10:00 to 17:30 every 30 minutes. It is possible to order excursions in English, French and Russian.

Winter season: daily from 10:00 to 18:00. The cash desk closes at 17:30. Excursions are only for groups upon prior request, with the exception of the Christmas holidays. Each advent (4 Sundays at the end of November-December before the “western” Christmas) - excursions at 15:00 with mulled wine or punch.

Ticket prices (as of 04/27/2014): adult - 9.50 €, with a guided tour + 2.50 €; students, schoolchildren, pensioners, disabled people - 8.55 €; family ticket (up to 2 adults and up to 2 children) - 15% discount; for groups (from 15-20 people) - 20% discount; children under 6 years old - free of charge.

For 1 € at the box office you can buy a guide in Russian with a description of the premises.

• Hubert Naeßl & Kurt Gramer: Die Meersburg: Geschichte, Kunst und Führung. München, Schnell & Steiner Verlag, 1988, ISBN 3-7954-0514-9

• Official site

• New Palace (Mersburg)
• Bishopric of Constance
• Principality-Bishopric of Konstanz