Hambacher Fest

After viewing a match of the Dutch female B youth against the German team at Manheimer HC

 

and a nice farmers lunch at the Burrweiler Mühle

 

we visited the very busy Hambacher Castle for the Hambacher Fest.

The Castle.

Hambach Castle near the urban district Hambach of Neustadt an der Weinstraße in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, is said to be the symbol of the German democracy movement because of the Hambacher Fest which occurred here in 1832.

Location

Hambach Castle is placed on the mountain Schlossberg (literally translated "Castle mountain"; elevation: 325m) in the east of the Palatine Forest. The estate ruled both as protection castle and as robber baron castle over the trade roads and also over the northern route of the Anterior Palatinate section of the Way of St. James.

History before 1832

Predecessor buildings

Archaeological finds proof that the area of Hambach Castle was used in late Roman time. In late Carolingian Dynasty times and Ottonian dynasty times a castle of refuge was built. Rests of it remain in front of and under the outer ring wall.

Erection of castle Kästenburg

(The Palatinate dialect literally translated: chestnut castle)

Probably in the first half of the 11th century inside the former estate a new castle was built. It got its name because of the surroundung magnificent sweet chestnut forests. There is only little known about its early times: there are speculations without any proof that it was found as an Imperial Castle (Reichsburg) or that Emperor Henry IV had started his Walk to Canossa in 1076. It is only certain, that bishop Johann I of Speyer signed over the estate from his property together with Castle Meistersel between 1090 and 1104 to the Bishopric of Speyer, which stayed owner to the end of the 18th century.

Burkhard and Trushard

The big estate was told to be one of the most importand facilities of the Bishopric of Speyer in the late Middle Ages. This is indicated by the multitudinous inhabitancies of the bishops since 1180. Despite this the first "Burgmannen" primary were known as Imperial Ministeriales and not as commissionaires of the church, especially the first one, Burkhard of Kästenburg, who is provable in the imperial service from 1154 to 1186. His brother Trushard of Kästenburg, proven 1178–1201, performed a brilliant career at the court of Henry VI.

Later ministeriales

The descendants of Trushard had no connection to the Kästenburg. Other houses of "Burgmannen" took place here, among them since 1256 the ministerial family Schnittlauch of Kästenburg, the Earls of Zweibrücken (1284) and the Earls of Veldenz (1311).

Building projects

Especially during the 13th century bigger building projects toof place, further ones were done at the end of the 14th century and in the second half of the 15th century by the bishops Nikolaus I and Matthias I.

 

The Fest.

Procession to Hambach Castle

 

The Hambacher Fest was a national democratic festival, similar to the Wartburg festival of 1817, celebrated at Hambach Castle near Neustadt an der Weinstraße (Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany), on May 27 to May 30, 1832 with about 30,000 participants.

People came from all ranks of society, workmen, students and members of parliament, as well as from different nations such as France and Poland. Amongst the Polish there were many who fled after the November Uprising (1830–1831) from Poland to Germany and further on to France.

At that time under the control of Bavaria, the local population suffered from high taxes and censorship. The main demands of the meeting that had been disguised as a non-political county fair were Liberty, Civil rights and National Unity (against the sectionalism that had prevailed in Germany since the Thirty Years' War).

No consensus was reached in regard to actions, and a few uncoordinated violent acts were carried out by students later on. This was criticized as missing a chance, e.g. by poet Heinrich Heine. The meeting had no immediate results, but the meeting is a milestone in German history, and saw the establishment of the colors Black-Red-Gold as a symbol of a German democratic movement, colours which were later used in the Flag of Germany.