Weinberghotel Edelacker
- Excerpt: The history of our hotel modestly began as a small inn called “Neidels Waldhaus” which rented guest rooms for the first time in the 19th century. In 1898, its name changed to “Edelacker”. Where our large terrace now offers a view of the wine-growing town of Freyburg, there used to be a glass hall that was supplied by the in-house pastry shop. In the following 100 years, the hotel remained a popular destination. It was expanded to its current size in 1996 with a new annex. After another extensive renovation that concluded in 2018, the 4-star hotel was renamed the “Weinberghotel Edelacker”.
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Blick von Zscheiplitz auf Weinberghotel Edelacker, Schloss Neuenburg und den Bergfried „Dicker Wilhelm“ - Bildergalerie-Foto:
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Ansichtskarte mit dem Berghotel Edelacker und einer Zeichnung der Edelacker Sage (1914) - Bildergalerie-Foto:
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Luftaufnahme vom Berghotel Edelacker von 1936
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- Subline: Wir sorgen für schöne Erinnerungen und haben selbst eine spannende Historie.
Edelacker itself has a long history dating back to 1170. The hotel is named after the vineyard field in front the premises and is the origin of the saying “Landgraf werde hart” (Landgrave, get tough). It refers to the so-called “Edelacker legend” which goes like this:
Landgrave Ludwig of Thuringia was a mild and gentle ruler. His nobles and knights took advantage of his soft-tempered character to oppress and abuse his subjects. One day, lost after a hunting trip, Ludwig found food and lodging at the blacksmith’s in Ruhla. There, he learned of the plight of his people. With every blow of the hammer, the blacksmith said: “Landgrave, you must get as tough as this iron! What good are you alive for the poor? Don’t you see how your councillors are tormenting the people?"
The landgrave took these words to heart and sought a way to compel obedience from his nobles. When he asked them to amend their ways, they banded together and revolted. Ludwig saw this as a breach of loyalty. As punishment, he harnessed the nobles one after the other to a plough and swung the whip while they tilled the stony ground, which has since been called “Edelacker”, which literally translates as the “noble field”.
Because Ludwig feared revenge, he took to wearing iron armour soon thereafter and was known ever since as the “Iron Landgrave”.
Photo series above: In 1921 the artist Walter Hege made a silhouette depicting the Edelacker legend in five scenes. This became the motif depicted on the back of the emergency money issued by the city of Freyburg at that time.
