Kapfenburg Castle

Kapfenburg Castle is located in the Ostalbkreis district on a mountain nose of the Albtrauf, 130 m above the town of Lauchheim. The name Kapfenburg is derived from the medieval term 'kapfen' ('to gape', 'to look into the country').

Kapfenburg Castle was built in the 12th century during the Staufer period to guard the road connections from west to east.

After the fall of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, the Counts of Oettingen and their liege lords, the Lords of Gromberg, took over much of the land around Kapfenburg Castle. In 1364, the Deutschordenshaus Mergentheim acquired the castle. It was the last commendation founded by the Order in southern Germany. The Order's state in Prussia and the Order houses in the Empire were already drifting apart. Thus Kapfenburg Castle bears witness above all to a small ecclesiastical-knightly residence of the late Middle Ages and early modern times.

In the Rhine Confederation Act of 1806, Napoleon abolished the Teutonic Order and awarded Kapfenburg Castle to King Frederick of Württemberg. It has been in the possession of the state ever since. Kapfenburg Castle was never destroyed. In accordance with the change in function from a fortified castle to a residential castle with administrative headquarters, it has been converted and extended into an idiosyncratic architectural ensemble that combines architectural styles from very different eras.

Since October 1999, the Kapfenburg Castle International Music School Academy Cultural Centre has been based within the walls of the former Teutonic Order fortress. As a result, Kapfenburg Castle has become a place of encounter and musical and creative activity for many people from Germany and abroad.

References:

• Schloss Kapfenburg

Address

Kapfenburg 7, Lauchheim, Germany

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)