Wasigenstein
Wasigenstein Castle, near the pfälzisch-alsatian boarder has obtained a special glory through the Waltarilied as the apparent battle scene of Walther against Gunther and Hagen. If this battle really took place here remains uncertain.
The first documented members of a knight lineage at Wasigenstein were the descendants of the marshalls and knights of Hagenau in 1161. In 1270 the sons of Engelhard of Hagenau, Friedrich and Seman, named themselves after the castle, from this we can deduce that the eastern older section of Wasigenstein was built before 1270.
In 1291 Friedrich of Wasigenstein together with four others, acted as guarantors for Heinrich of Windstein who was being held in captivity by the Duke of Lothringen. The family was split into several lineages, the property was divided in two parts between 1299 and 1306, the contractural documents concerning this still exist. There is evidently a connection between these contracts and the extensions which the castle underwent at this period, since then the castle is nominally divided into “old” and “new” sections. In the middle of the 14 th century, however, both family branches died out. Their inheritances were transferred to the neighbouring sovereigns of Fleckenstein and of Hohenburg in the period between 1350 and 1370.
As the Fleckensteins used Wasigenstein as collateral against mortgages and dowrys, this resulted with increasing share divisions of the property. In 1463-66 the older upper castle accommodated twelve castle Gemeiner who had partial rights, the more recent lower castle had three such Gemeiner, so all together there are 15 owners documented during this time.
This obviously caused considerable conflicts followed by frequent sieges and conquests. In 1385 the castle was for the first time conquered by the sovereigns of Ochsenstein. In 1410 the upper castle was conquered by the Mauchenheims of Zweibrücken. In the period before 1435 it was conquered by Ludwig of Lichtenberg. In 1457 Count Palatine Friedrich I. conquered the lower castle. In the period before 1464 the lower castle was conquered by Bishop Johann of Speyer and finally in 1468 the upper castle was again conquered by the sovereigns of Lichtenberg.
After the last siege Wasigenstein was mentioned as uninhabited and from the 16 th century it was opened to general entrance. In 1711 the Fleckensteins sold their estates including the castle to Hanau-Lichtenberg. It is possible that the castle was destroyed during the 30 Year War. In 1878 the ruins of Wasigenstein were declared a protected monument.
