Schönecken Castle
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| Schönecken Castle | |
|---|---|
Burg Schönecken, Bella Costa, Clara Costa | |
| Schönecken | |
 The ruins of Schönecken in June 2005 | |
| Site information | |
| Type | hill castle |
| Code | DE-RP |
| Condition | Surviving enceinte |
| Location | |
  Schönecken Castle  Schönecken Castle | |
| Coordinates | 50°09′37″N 6°27′43″E / 50.160212°N 6.462071°E |
| Height | 467 m above sea level (NHN) |
| Site history | |
| Built | c. 1230 |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | Counts, nobility |
Schönecken Castle (German: Burg Schönecken) is a ruined hill castle at 467 m above sea level (NN) above the village of Schönecken in the Nims valley in the West Eifel mountains. It lies within the county of Bitburg-Prüm in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The castle stands on the lowest hill ridge in the middle of a valley bowl. The site is guarded on all sides by higher hills.
The ruins of Schönecken Castle are also called Bella Costa or Clara Costa.
Short legend:
- 762 – King Pepin gifts the Wetteldorf estate to Prüm Abbey. The guardians (Schutzvögte) of the abbey were the counts of Vianden.
- c. 1230 – Probably construction of Clara Costa castle.
- 1247 – Albertus Magnus and Conrad of Hochstaden at the castle
- 1264 – Henry of Vianden calls himself "Lord of Schönecken".
- 1288 – Gerhard of Schönecken killed two monks from Prüm in a dispute.
- 1352 – Hartard of Schönecken falls in battle for Baldwin of Trier.
- 1370 – John, the last Lord of Schönecken, dies.
- 1384 – Schönecken goes to the Electorate of Trier. The castle is the residence of the prince-electors.
- 1593 – Knight and burgmann, Hermann of Hersel, dies on 13 July and is buried in Saint Leodegar (Catholic parish church) in Wetteldorf.
- 1643 – Castle captured by mercenaries.
- 1802 – Schönecken razed.
- 1804 – Under French rule, the castle is seized and auctioned for demolition.
- 1848 – The Kingdom of Prussia becomes its owner.
- 1906 – First restoration of the castle by Prussia
- 1920s – Dr. Johannes Schreiber (1893–1978) prevents the final destruction of the ruins.
- 1970–1975 – Defensive towers and walls of the castle are renovated by the Rhineland-Palatinate Castle Administration.
- 1984–1985 – Renovation of the castle and hill with sprayed concrete.
- 2006 – Castle trail placed out-of-bounds due to the risk of collapse of the castle wall; renovation is planned; severe weathering damage identified on the towers.
The present owner of the castle is the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
