| Achstetten Castle | |
|---|---|
Schloss Achstetten | |
| Achstetten | |
 | |
  Achstetten Castle  Achstetten Castle | |
| Coordinates | 48°15′30″N9°53′51″E / 48.25823°N 9.89752°E |
| Type | Mansion |
| Code | DE-BW |
| Height | 503 m above sea level (NN) |
| Site information | |
| Open to the public | No |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1795–1797 |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | Count Reuttner von Weyll |
Achstetten Castle is a classicist [1] mansion in the southern German municipality of Achstetten in Upper Swabia.
Achstetten Castle is located at an elevation of about 503 m in the southern part of the municipality close to the parish church St Oswald and Agatha, the 18th-century country inn Rössle and the local town hall. The castle is situated on the edge of the valley of the river Rot to the east, and an elevated plain leading to the valley of the river Rottum to the west.
Achstetten Castle is a spacious three-storey building in classicist style with a risalit in its centre. [2] Two wings are loosely attached to the main structure at a right angle. These two wings function as economy buildings. On three sides the castle is surrounded by a large park, which is home to an enclosure where fallow deer are kept. [3] The main access to the castle is by a driveway measuring about 150 metres (490 ft) long. Noteworthy of the interior are a classicist staircase, 19th century furniture, an iron stove from 1798, portraits of the Freyberg family and a porcelain collection. [4] A raised and roofed passageway on wooden pillars connects the castle to the nearby church. [5] This passageway has a length of approximately 100 metres (330 ft). [6] Passageways of this kind, which enabled the lord of the castle and his family to enter the church without being subject to the weather, were not uncommon; remnants of such a construction can also be seen at Großlaupheim Castle. [7]
A castle in Achstetten was first mentioned ion 1386. In a description dating from 1449, the castle is said to be a tall building, surrounded by moats and having two bridges. [8] The castle was looted and burnt to the ground during the German Peasants' War in 1525 by members of the local peasant army, the Baltringer Haufe. [9] A new castle was erected in 1583 which was described in 1620 by the visiting abbot of Ochsenhausen Abbey as a splendid palace.
By around 1750 it consisted of an inner yard, surrounded by a large building which contained the stables, a derelict barn and a gate on the ground floor, the granary in the attic and living quarters in between. To the left of the gate there was a prison building and the dairy whereas on the right hand side of the gate more stables for cattle and sheep were located. In the outer yard stood the building allocated to the Vogt as well as a barn. The castle and its gardens were surrounded by a tall hedge which functioned as a living wall. [10]
The original castle was owned by the barons of Freyberg until 1639 after which time it changed hands several times [11] before being bought by Baron Beat Conrad Reuttner von Weyl in 1795. He had the current castle built in 1794–1796. The architect was Franz Anton Bagnato. The building works started one year before the actual contract of sale was signed. Beat Conrad Reuttner von Weyl must therefore have been quite certain of his future acquisition. [12] During the first half of the 19th century, the pond and the moats that surrounded the previous castle were drained and turned into a park. Most recently restoration works at the castle took place in 1982 and 1983. In 1996 a fountain, which already appeared in the original plans by Bagnato, was erected in the castle yard. [13]
Achstetten Castle and its estate are in the possession of the family Reuttner von Weyl who still reside at the castle. It is also home to the offices for the administration and the management of the estate. The castle is in private hands and not accessible to the public. [14]
Biberach is a Landkreis (district) in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Ravensburg, Sigmaringen, Reutlingen and Alb-Donau, and the Bavarian districts Neu-Ulm, Unterallgäu and the district-free city Memmingen. The major towns in the district of Biberach are Biberach an der Riß, Riedlingen, Ochsenhausen and Laupheim.
Laupheim is a major district town in southern Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Laupheim was first mentioned in 778 and gained city rights in 1869. One of the main trading routes, from Ulm to Ravensburg and then on towards Lake Constance ran through Laupheim. Having developed from a rural settlement into a small urban area, Laupheim is home to a number of small to medium-sized industries and businesses. One of the largest employers are the German Armed Forces which maintain an airbase close to Laupheim, Laupheim Air Base.
Achstetten is the northernmost municipality in the district of Biberach, in the region of Upper Swabia in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Schemmerhofen is a municipality ("Gemeinde") in the district ("Landkreis") of Biberach in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Schemmerhofen is located in the Upper Swabia region of Baden-Württemberg.
Upper Swabia is a region in Germany in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. The name refers to the area between the Swabian Jura, Lake Constance and the Lech. Its counterpart is Lower Swabia (Niederschwaben), the region around Heilbronn.
Baltringen is a once autonomous village in Baden-Württemberg in the region of Upper Swabia, situated approximately 17 km north of Biberach. Administratively, Baltringen is part of the municipality of Mietingen. Baltringen lies on the river Dürnach.
The Upper Swabian Baroque Route is a tourist theme route through Upper Swabia, following the themes of "nature, culture, baroque". The route has a length of about 500 km. It was established in 1966, being one of the first theme routes in Germany. There is an extension to the route into Switzerland and Austria around Lake Constance.
The Railway line Laupheim West – Schwendi in Germany connected the town of Laupheim with the then village of Schwendi. The railway line was opened by the Royal Württemberg State Railways on 17 May 1904. It branched off from the Ulm–Friedrichshafen railway. The length of the railway line was 16 km. The railway line had the classification number of 4510. The steam locomotive used on the line, received the nickname Rottalmolle by the local population, referring to the course of the railway line through the valley of the river Rot.
Hüttisheim is a municipality in the district of Alb-Donau in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.
The Ulm–Friedrichshafen railway, also known as the Württembergische Südbahn, is an electrified main line in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southern Germany. It was built from 1846 to 1850 and doubled from 1905 to 1913. During that time many of the station buildings were rebuilt. Its kilometre numbering (chainage) begins as the Fils Valley Railway in Stuttgart Hbf. The line was upgraded and electrified from the spring of 2018. Electric operations commenced in December 2021.
Dellmensingen Castle is an early Baroque castle in the Upper Swabian village of Dellmensingen, now part of the city of Erbach, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Alberweiler Castle is a small castle-like structure in the village of Alberweiler, now part of the municipality of Schemmerhofen in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on a hillside in the centre of the village. The ground and the first floor of the castle are made of stone whereas the upper storeys consist of three projecting half-timbered floors.
Erbach Castle is a patrician Renaissance castle situated on a hillside close to the city of Erbach an der Donau in the state of Baden Württemberg, Germany. It remains under private ownership.
Dilsberg Castle is a ruined castle located in Neckargemünd, Germany. It was built by the counts of Lauffen in the 12th century, but in the 14th century became part of the Electorate of the Palatinate. The castle became an administrative center for the Electoral Palatinate and thus a target in the wars of the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 19th century, the castle fell into ruin and was used as a quarry. American writer Mark Twain visited the castle in the 1870s and wrote about it in A Tramp Abroad. As of 2020, Dilsberg Castle is administered by the heritage agency Staatliche Schlösser und Gärten Baden-Württemberg.
The Baltringer Haufen was prominent among several armed groups of peasants and craftsmen during the German Peasants' War of 1524–1525. The name derived from the small Upper Swabian village of Baltringen, which lies approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of Ulm in the district of Biberach, Germany. In the early modern period the term Haufe(n) denoted a lightly organised military formation particularly with regard to Landsknecht regiments.
Untersulmetingen Castle is a small castle-like renaissance structure in the village of Untersulmetingen, now part of the municipality of Laupheim, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Bihlafingen is a village and part of the municipality of Laupheim, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany and has a population of 848.
Bronnen is a village in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, with a population of 706. Administratively it is part of the municipality of Achstetten.
Stetten is a village in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, with a population of 1017. Administratively it is part of the municipality of Achstetten.
Oberholzheim is a village in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, with a population of 857. Administratively, it is part of the municipality of Achstetten and has a population of 858.
