Burg Sooneck

My Images of Burg Sooneck on Imagekind
Sooneck 1
Sooneck 2

Sooneck protected the Trechtingshausen estates belonging to Kornelimunster Abbey near Aachen. The knights of Bolanden and lords of Hohenfels (after 1241) were stewards of Sooneck and Reichenstein during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. These robber barons angered the alliance of Rhenish towns, which besieged the castles in 1254. In 1270/1271, robber baron Philipp von Hohenfels was forced to sell Sooneck to the church of Mainz. In April 1346, Johann Marschall zu Waldeck, leased Sooneck from Erzbischof Heinrich III von Mainz and rebuilt it in the following years. In 1689, during the Nine Years War, Sooneck was blown up by the French. Between 1842 and 1861, Prussian Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm and his brothers, Carl and Albrecht, converted Sooneck into a hunting lodge. Sooneck was the last Rhine castle to be rebuilt by the Hohenzollerns, and the restoration was planned and executed by architect and engineer, Major Karl Schnitzler The restoration retained the castle’s 14th century elements. Attractions include exposed landscapes and collections of weapons, Empire and Biedermeier furniture, and the castle pub.

Legend states that Siebold of Sooneck and Hans Veit of Furstenberg came to quarrel. Hans was a great bowman, and Siebold was a great swordsman. Siebold challenged Hans to a sword duel, which Siebold won. Siebold ordered that Hans be blinded. Hans became Siebold's captive, and suffered in the dungeon. During a party at Burg Sooneck, Siebold decided to humiliate Hans by mocking Hans’ inability to draw bow. Siebold stated that if Hans could shoot a goblet thrown into the air, he would be freed. When Siebold tossed the goblet upward, instead of firing at the goblet, Hans released an arrow into Siebold’s neck, killing him instantly. Afterward, Hans lowered his bow and cried, either from the joy of being free or from delight at the prospect of shooting his bow.