John Blankenbaker's Germanna History Notes

Note 918

I have dwelt, and I’m not finished, on the Guttenberg Castle, because it is in good condition, and it was very close to where a number of Germanna people lived.  For several of them, it would have been a subject of conversation.  In the last note we read that Hüffenhardt was the place for trials and executions.  This was the home of George Utz and Michael Volck (Folg).  Several of the events which had an impact on Guttenberg Castle would have been noted by our ancestors.  One such event was The Thirty Years’ War and, in particular, the battle fought nearby, in 1622.

When the ammunition wagon of the Protestant forces exploded, their hopes and their ability to fight went up in smoke.  After the battle, Tilly of the Catholic forces attacked Heidelberg, plundered it, and burned it, though Heidelberg Castle itself escaped unharmed.  Guttenberg Castle also escaped unharmed, even though their sympathies and some of their men were with the Protestants.

Another event that never did any damage to the castle was lightning.  This was an extreme case of luck for the castle sits on a hill, and the tower stands 40 meters higher than the ground.  The owners take no special credit for the survival of the castle; they are honest enough to admit that it was a lot of luck.

Another time of extreme danger was during the French invasions of 1688.  The French armies were ordered to destroy all castles they could find.  Guttenberg came close to being destroyed because it was sieged and the attackers were using fire torches, which were lobbed onto the roofs.  In this case, a courageous carpenter climbed up and tossed the firebrands down.

The father of Friedrich Christoph von Gemmingen was taken prisoner during the war, and the son exchanged himself for his father’s freedom.  Later he was ransomed.  He died in battle against the French in 1702, in the Spanish War of Succession, at the ripe old age of 32.  His son Philipp started a magnificent library, which included Philipp’s own writings.  Another son of Friedrich Christopher, Carl Reinhard, was in the employ of major dukedoms and principalities as a finance minister.

In the Guttenberg library, there is one (of two Known sets) of " wooden books ".  The Guttenberg set has 93 volumes, which look like books, but, in reality, are wooden boxes.  Each volume describes a particular tree or shrub.  The box is made from the wood of this species.  The cover is made from the bark.  Fungi and lichen which are typical to the species are included with the bark.  The name of the species is inscribed twice, once in German on green leather and once in Latin on red leather.  Inside each box, branches, leaves, petals, fruits, and a sprouting plant are placed.  Roots are braided into a wreath.  Two samples of the wood are displayed, once as a cross section and once as radial cut.  A piece of charcoal and a wooden cube that allows the density to be measured are included.  A hand written description is included and, of course, seeds.  (to be continued)
(04 Jul 00)