The town of Bönnigheim in the north of the Ludwigsburg district has an old town that is teeming with historic buildings. This is partly due to the fact that the town has had a long list of rulers. The Celts, Romans, Alemanni, Franks, and Habsburgs have all ruled here. After the town came into the possession of the Archbishopric of Mainz, it was purchased as a fief by Hirsau Abbey and sold to Bebenhausen Abbey in 1284. At this time, it was also granted town rights and construction of the town fortifications began. A mighty fortress with a 1,150-meter-long wall with a battlement around the city was erected, secured at each corner by a tower. In 1288, Rudolf of Habsburg bought the city, thus initiating the Ganerbiat. This meant that various knightly families shared their hereditary possessions. This Ganerbiat is still remembered today by the four most important Ganerben, the so-called co-heirs, whose names are immortalized in the four districts of Bönnigheim: the Sachsenheim district, the Neipperger district, the Gemminger district, and the Liebenstein district. For over 400 years, the town was ruled jointly by various noble lords, and it was not until 1750 that the Ganerbiat ended when Count Friedrich Stadion received Bönnigheim as a fief. The Ganerbenburg castle, which was built between 1250 and 1270 by the Lords of Magenheim as part of the northwestern town fortifications, also bears witness to the Ganerben period. Later, the castle became the property of the Ganerben. After the castle was destroyed in the Peasants’ War in 1525, it was rebuilt in 1546. The Liebenstein part was demolished in 1679 and a wine cellar was built in its place. In 1898, the bell from the Cyriakus Church, dating from 1359, was installed in the tower, which was then given a roof. The castle was renovated in 1979. The rectangular castle complex once had a wall and a moat facing the town. Today, the remains of the old Ganerbenburg castle and the stair tower with a conical roof leading to the former courtyard are still preserved on the castle square. The Ganerbenburg castle not only still dominates the medieval skyline of Bönnigheim, but is also an important cultural asset that provides interesting insights into the history of the town. This stone witness to history, only partially preserved today, gave me a fascinating insight into medieval life in the town.
