Emichsburg, Castle ruin in Bockenheim an der Weinstraße, Germany.
Emichsburg is a castle ruin on the Kirchenhügel in Kleinbockenheim, Bockenheim an der Weinstraße. The surviving Renaissance portal, some building parts and the ring wall of the churchyard are partly integrated into later structures. The free-standing tower of St. Martin's Church belonged to the hill's fortification. The site now houses the Schloss Janson winery, whose main building dates from the early 19th century.
Kleinbockenheim was fortified by the Leiningen family; in 1471 Elector Frederick I burned the village and razed its defences, which Emich VIII rebuilt the same year. On 23 December 1582 Emich XI bought the former provostry of Wadgassen Monastery and converted the monastic complex on the church hill into a modest Renaissance castle called Emichsburg. The surviving Renaissance portal probably dates from that building.
Since the late 20th century, the Bockenheim community centre between Großbockenheim and Kleinbockenheim has also been called "Emichsburg", and the House of the German Wine Route has stood there since 1995. Each spring the Bockenheimer Mundarttage dialect days award the "Preis der Emichsburg" for services to dialect and regional culture.
The site is the Schloss Janson winery, still owned by descendants of Heinrich Janson, who bought the estate on 17 October 1831 for 40,000 guilders together with 28 hectares of vineyards and farmland. The complex stands on the Kirchenhügel in Kleinbockenheim beside the former fortified church of St. Martin, and the surviving Renaissance gate, building parts and ring wall are partly built into later structures.
In 1906, digging beneath St. Martin's Church uncovered the burial vault of the Counts of Leiningen. It had already been looted, so it was filled in again. The same hilltop holds the free-standing church tower that once formed part of the churchyard's fortification.
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