Schwarzenberg Castle

Schloss Schwarzenberg is a castle near Scheinfeld in the Franconian Steigerwald. The architectural origin of the castle was a medieval fortification that was later converted into a representative castle. The origin of the castle is still clearly visible: fortified walls, casemates, and watchtowers bear witness to its former purpose. The ornate palace of the castle also stands in clear contrast to the different architecture.

In 1150, the first written mention of a castle complex that was owned by the Counts of Castell took place. The existence of a noble family from 1215-1235 is certain, which ended with a sick canon in Würzburg in 1250. Shortly afterwards, the castle first appeared in the Castell division of inheritance document around 1258/1265; the tower was mentioned in 1274.

From 1405 to 1421, after being owned by the families of Hohenlohe and Vestenberg, Knight Erkinger VI of Seinsheim, the ancestor of the Schwarzenberg family, acquired the castle.

In 1607, the medieval castle was destroyed by fire. From 1608 to 1618, Count Wolfgang Jacob of Schwarzenberg zu Hohenlandsberg had the castle rebuilt in the Renaissance style as a palace. The well-known Augsburg city architect Elias Holl drew up the plans, and the construction was carried out by the Nuremberg architects Jakob Wolff, father and son. The interior was renewed after the Thirty Years' War.

During the Thirty Years' War, Castle Schwarzenberg, like Scheinfeld and Oberscheinfeld, was plundered by Swedish troops in autumn 1631. From 1670 to 1674, on the occasion of the elevation of the Schwarzenberg family to the rank of imperial prince, the 'Schwarze Turm' was built as the last part of the building. It is the tallest part of the castle.

In the 17th century, the Schwarzenberg family shifted the focus of their rule to Vienna and Bohemia, but the castle remained the seat of government and administration of the imperial princely county of Schwarzenberg until 1806. The royal Bavarian court in Scheinfeld existed from 1814 to 1848. It was then a royal Bavarian court and police authority until 1852, then a district court.

Under Prince Adolph Joseph (1832-1914), the castle was extensively renovated from 1900 to 1902 according to plans by Jan Sedláček. In 1940, the Nazis confiscated the castle and turned it into a party training castle. At the end of World War II, German refugees were quartered there.

From 1945 to 1949, the US Army occupied the castle and used it as a hospital during their advance on Nuremberg. It temporarily housed about 1,000 refugees from the Baltic States as a UN emergency shelter.

In 1986, the Documentation Center for the Promotion of Independent Czechoslovak Literature moved into the castle. Karl zu Schwarzenberg had rooms set up in the castle for this purpose. A small underground publishing house was also established in the castle. In 2015, the renovation of Castle Schwarzenberg began.

Address

Schwarzenberger Straße 50, Scheinfeld, Germany

Details

Founded: 1608-1618
Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Reformation & Wars of Religion (Germany)