# Sporkenburg

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The **Sporkenburg** is a [late medieval](/source/Late_medieval) [castle](/source/Castle) ruin about one kilometre south of [Eitelborn](/source/Eitelborn) in the district of [Westerwaldkreis](/source/Westerwaldkreis) in the German state of [Rhineland-Palatinate](/source/Rhineland-Palatinate).

## Location

The ruins of the [spur castle](/source/Spur_castle) lie within the parish of the village of Eitelborn in the [Westerwald](/source/Westerwald) hills above the *[L](/source/Landesstra%C3%9Fe)* 329 between [Bad Ems](/source/Bad_Ems) and [Arzbach](/source/Arzbach). Located in the middle of the forest, the Sporkenburg is not easy to find. The easiest option is to follow the signs along the castle path (*Burgweg*) into the woods from the eastern exit of the village of Eitelborn aus (*Erlenweg*, near the cemetery). Pass through the barrier and take the right hand path from the crosstracks which leads gently downhill. Alternatively take the ascent from the L 329 from where the castle can be seen above the valley. The ruins are not managed and are freely accessible at any time.

## Layout

The [tower castle](/source/Tower_castle) (*Turmburg*) is located on a roughly rectangular [hill spur](/source/Hill_spur) above the stream of Emsbach. The spur drops steeply away to the west, south and east. To the north the castle is protected by a length of ditch (*Halsgraben*). The outermost defences and the ward between the two curtain walls, the *[Zwinger](/source/Zwinger_(castle))*, have almost completely disappeared.

The inner ward (*Kernburg*) is 35 metres long by 18 metres wide. It does not have a [bergfried](/source/Bergfried). On the north side the castle has a five-storey, slightly angled [shield wall](/source/Shield_wall), reinforced with [bartizans](/source/Bartizan), that has a height of almost 20 metres. In the western section of the shield wall is the entrance to the inner ward. On the south side of the heavily built-up inner ward is the *[Palas](/source/Palas)* with its [Great Hall](/source/Great_Hall), whose outside walls have survived. The eastern part of the inner ward has been completely removed.

## History

The Lower [Engersgau](/source/Engersgau) was probably enfeoffed to the lords of the [Electorate of Trier](/source/Electorate_of_Trier) under Archbishop [Poppo](/source/Poppo_of_Babenberg) (1016–1047). From this estate, Archbishop [Engelbert](/source/Engelbert_of_Rothenburg) (1079–1101) gifted the village of *Dezerhaid* to the [Benedictine Abbey of St. Matthew](/source/Benedictine_Abbey_of_St._Matthew). In the late 13th century the settlement is recorded as a [fief](/source/Fief) in the possession of Emmerich of Andernach and Henry of Lahnstein. They began work on constructing a castle. The castle was destroyed, however, by Count [Otto of Nassau](/source/Otto_I_of_Nassau), the advocate (*[Vogt](/source/Vogt)*) of Kurtrier. Whereupon Henry of Lahnstein transferred his rights to Dezerhaid to Henry II of Helfenstein.

Henry II of Helfenstein had the Sporkenburg rebuilt, probably not on the old site,[1] in the year 1310. He assigned it to the Archbishop of Trier [Baldwin](/source/Baldwin_of_Luxembourg) (1307–1354) as a fief. The castle developed into the centre of the lordship of *Helfenstein-Sporkenburg*.

In 1515 John of Helfenstein sold the castle to John and Quyrin of Nassau (not to be confused with the counts of Nassau). In the deed the castle was described as *vast buwefellig* ("almost ruined"). In 1604 the castle went from the lords of Nassau to the *von Metternich* family. It was destroyed in 1635 by the French during the [Thirty Years' War](/source/Thirty_Years'_War).

State chancellor [Prince of Metternich](/source/Klemens_Wenzel_Lothar_von_Metternich) sold the ruins in 1811. Its ownership transferred in 1900 to Prussia and in 1948 to Rhineland-Palatinate. In 1967 the State Office for Cultural Heritage began a gradual restoration of the remaining remnants of the walls.

## Literature

- Alexander Thon, Stefan Ulrich, Jens Friedhoff: *„Mit starken eisernen Ketten und Riegeln beschlossen ...“. Burgen an der Lahn*. Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-7954-2000-0, p. 154-159.

## References

1. Michael Losse (2007), *Die Lahn Burgen und Schlösser* (in German), Petersberg: Imhof Verlag, ISBN 978-3-86568-070-9

## External links

- [Eitelborn municipality: The Sporkenburg](http://www.eitelborn.de/burg.htm)
- Sporkenburg auf [www.burgtour.de](http://www.burgtour.de/burgen2.htm?/burgen/burg-sporkenburg-pfalz.html)
- [More photographs of the Sporkenburg](https://www.flickr.com/photos/rs-foto/sets/72157616624857583/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sporkenburg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporkenburg) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporkenburg?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.