Oferdingen

Oferdingen (Reutlingen), The county of Reutlingen

Oferdingen was first mentioned in annals dating back to 914, which report that the messenger Erchanger, a member of the Swabian ducal family, was captured by King Konrad I in the castle of Oferdingen and sent into exile. Whilst the Latin name “Onfridinga” is now generally identified with the settlement Oferdingen, the castle is assumed to be the Franconian castle in Altenburg, which was discovered in 1896. Hence, Oferdingen most likely constituted the outer bailey of the Altenburg.   The Zwiefalten Chronicle mentions Altenburg and Oferdingen. It reports that around 1089 or 1090 Count Liutold of Achalm donated half of the church and other possessions in Oferdingen to the monastery. Apparently, until then, the Counts of Achalm owned the most property in Oferdingen. However, the village was also home to its own aristocratic family, which was for the first time mentioned in 1291. Its members held property in the village as well as the church’s property. If the castle in Altenburg was actually inhabited by the so-called Ufridingen family remains a mystery. Oferdingen is referenced again in 1342, when the Counts of Tübingen gave the village and other possessions to Württemberg.