Lissingen Castle
| Lissingen Castle | |
|---|---|
| Burg Lissingen | |
| Lissingen, Gerolstein, Germany | |
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| Coordinates | 50°12′59.58″N 6°38′23.22″E / 50.2165500°N 6.6397833°ECoordinates: 50°12′59.58″N 6°38′23.22″E / 50.2165500°N 6.6397833°E |
| Type | Moated castle |
| Site information | |
| Owner | private (separate lower and upper castle) |
| Open to the public |
yes, part by appointment only |
| Site history | |
| Built | about 1212 – 1280 |
| Demolished | mostly well preserved |
Lissingen Castle (German: Burg Lissingen) is a well-preserved former moated castle dating to the 13th century. It is located on the River Kyll in Gerolstein in the administrative district of Vulkaneifel in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. From the outside it appears to be a single unit, but it is a double castle; an estate division in 1559 created the so-called lower castle and upper castle, which continue to have separate owners. Together with Bürresheim Castle and Castle Eltz, it has the distinction among castles in the Eifel of never having been destroyed.
Lissingen Castle is a protected cultural property under the Hague Convention.
The castle is located on the edge of Lissingen, a section of Gerolstein, close to the river Kyll. It was originally surrounded by the river and on the south and west sides by a moat. The moat has been filled in and streets created on the site, but traces of the original water defenses are visible on the river side of the castle.
Lissingen and neighboring Sarresdorph most likely originated as a Roman settlement. Evidence of this is archeological finds from an excavation in one of the courtyards of the lower castle before World War I and also the proximity to the former Roman settlement of Ausava, a horse-changing station on the road between Treves and Cologne that today is the section of Gerolstein called Oos.
After the Germanic influx of the 5th century, the former Roman settlements came under the control of the Frankish kings and later became demesne of the Merovingians and Carolingians. In the 8th and 9th centuries, during the Carolingian era, Lissingen and Sarresdorph were both possessions of Prüm Abbey or of its estate of Büdesheim.
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Wikipedia