A tower approximately 16 meters high stands in the municipality of Friedelsheim. The site is suspected to have been built in the 13th or 14th century by the Lords of Bolanden, with the first documentary mention of the castle appearing in 1418 as the property of Johann von Derne.
Ownership shifted through the 15th century until Pfalzgraf Johann Kasimir began elaborately remodeling and expanding the castle into a Renaissance palace in 1575. During the Thirty Years' War, Spanish troops captured the castle in 1632, followed shortly by Swedish troops. The castle was severely damaged by fires during this conflict.
French troops almost completely destroyed the castle in 1689 during the War of the Palatine Succession. In 1698, Franz Melchior von Wiser was enfeoffed with the property. His son, Franz Joseph von Wiser, built a Baroque successor building on the foundations of the burnt-down castle. The structure was burned down again in 1794 during the First Coalition War.
Today, only a few wall remains and the castle tower of the former medieval castle are visible, along with portals and parts of the wide moat from the palace. The tower was restored in 1986/87 with an external staircase and a new observation platform. A Mennonite church was built in the castle area between 1836 and 1838, and a residential building nearby serves as a parsonage.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Aurora
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