Stromberg and Stromburg Castle —Home of the 'German Michel'

A few kilometers north of Bad Kreuznach the Guldenbach stream flows out of Hunsrück into the Nahe River. It numbers among the "steepest" streams, for between Rheinböllen and Stromberg it falls from a height of 160 meters down to 8 km. Its headwaters, cut deeply into the mountains, traversing one of the central areas for the Hunsrück iron ore reserves and the historic "Rheinböllen Ironworks", and form the border between Soonwald ('Soon Forest') to the west and Bingerwald ('Binger Forest') to the east. The most famous place in Guldenbach Valley is the village of Stromberg at the foot of Soonwald. Here on a elongated mountain spur, the most picturesque in the country, stands Stromburg Castle, one of the oldest castle complexes in Hunsrück. This is the home of the "German Michel", Hans Michael von Obentraut (1574-1625), one of the most dashing captains of the Thirty Years War, around whom creep various stories —he is not to be confused with a ridiculous figure by the same name, a clumsy oaf with a pointed cap and knee breeches, who was used as a political character to personify simple-mindedness and an easy-going ponderousness since the Reformation in Germany in order "to rouse" the people.

Stromburg Castle was most likely built before the 10th Century. The first documented reference, however, dates from the year 1056, when nobleman Count Bertolf named himself after this Castle. In 1116 it was razed to its foundations by the Archbishop of Mainz, Adalbert I; however, it was later rebuilt. Due to its preservation, the village of Stromberg, which was first mentioned in 1344, spread further into the valley. During the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) Stromburg Castle was captured and occupied, however never substantially damaged. It was during the course of the Orleon Succession War that it was blown up on 3 March 1689 by the French army and the village itself lay in debris and ashes. Between 1977 and 1981 a part of the castle ruins, with the assistance of the regional authority for the care of monuments, was reconstructed and incorporated into a modern hotel complex. The importance of Stromberg lay in the presence of limonite and goethite, which could be extracted in this Hunsrück region in opencast mining. The ore, with an iron content of on average 25-30%, was not very profitable, however what proved to be decisive for the refining and was readily in Soonwald was the charcoal, the hydropower of the Guldenbach stream, as well as the existence of lime, essential for the smelting process. This lime is so plentiful in the Stromberg lime stone quarries that it could even be supplied to the other Hunsrück ironworks, in particular to the "Rheinböller Ironworks" a few kilometers away.

The picture above is taken from the terrace of Castle Gollenfels looking across the narrow Guldenbach valley towards Stromburg Castle. Castle Gollenfels was supposedly built in the 10th or 11th Century as a precursor to Stromburg, and since 1156 has been administered by the Rhineland-Palatinate. After it was destroyed in 1614 by Spanish troops, its reconstruction was begun only a few years later (around 1619).