How it all began - a journey through time!
Here we look back into the past of the Hotel Rittergut, the Rudelsburg and Kreipitzsch:
First documentary mention of the Rudelsburg as a border castle; later a protective castle of the Frankenstrasse leading past in the valley
No exact date of foundation is known from Kreipitzsch; but one can assume a settlement of over 1000 years; First mentioned in 1186
The Rudelsburg is lent to the Margrave of Meißen by the Bishop of Naumburg
Feud between Naumburg and Rudelsburg; Naumburg citizens conquer Rudelsburg; Outer bailey is destroyed - then multiple changes of ownership; Castle continues to deteriorate
Up until the middle of the 17th century, Kreipitzsch was an estate that served as the outbuilding of the Rudelsburg and after the ruin of the Rudelsburg it became an independent aristocratic seat.
At the entrance you can read: “Kreipitzsch first belongs to the rich, then to those of Münchhausen, those of Bünau and, since 1560, those of Osterhausen. From these it was bought in 1671 by the von Kreutzen, which died out in the male line in 1775, so that the fiefs fell back. The major and head stable master Christian von Schönberg married the heiress Sophi von Kreutzen, whose son Franz von Schönberg bought the fiefs again and united them with the Allodan. On the night of September 25-26, 1865, all buildings burned down. Rebuilt by Wolf von Schönberg and his wife Sophie, born Rabe, in 1866. "
The turmoil of the 30-year war left traces on the Rudelsburg; Castle burns out; Citizens settle in Kreipitzsch - the castle continues to fall into disrepair; Only the ruins of the inner castle remained
The Rudelsburg rediscovered as the most beautiful of all castles in the Saale Valley
First inn by Gottlieb Wagner - called "Samiel"
The onset of hiking tourism makes Rudelsburg known throughout Germany
Franz Kugler (Berlin student from Stettin) composes the song "An der Saale hellem Strande" while visiting the Rudelsburg
At the suggestion of the students from Jena, Leipzig and Halle, Rudelsburg becomes a regular meeting point for the student corps that founded their umbrella organization here (Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband), the oldest umbrella organization of German student associations
For the first time a meeting of the corps students at the Rudelsburg
Since then, the Rudelsburg and the city of Bad Kösen have served the Kösener Corps students as a conference venue - with the exception of the years 1954 to 1994 when, during the GDR, the Congress in Würzburg met for the Corps students at the Rudelsburg
Parts of the Rudelsburg were repaired and secured. Even so, there were more collapses in the 20th century
After the 2nd World War, large parts of the manor were demolished; the rest was very dilapidated
The Rudelsburg becomes the annual meeting point for the student associations that were founded in the GDR before 1990 and that merged in 1990 to form the Rudelsburg Alliance
After German reunification, the castle ruins were extensively restored and secured from 1991 to 1992. The ruins of the Rudelsburg are used for gastronomy today. The interior of the castle and the keep are accessible during the opening times of the restaurant. From the keep you have an unforgettable view of the Saale valley
Construction and opening of the Hotel & Restaurant Rittergut
The Bismarck monument erected in 1859, right next to the Rudelsburg, was removed during the GDR era. Thanks to donations from the Kösener Corps students, it was inaugurated again on April 1, 2006
New construction of 2 holiday apartments in the grounds of the Kreipitzsch manor
A garden house on the manor is being converted into a holiday apartment
