Harreshausen Castle

Count Johann Reinhard III of Hanau commissioned the construction of the hunting lodge between 1722 and 1723. At that time, Babenhausen was part of the reunited County of Hanau. The construction of the lodge was one of several castle and new building projects during his reign. Johann Reinhard shared his passion for hunting with Landgrave Ernst Ludwig of Hessen-Darmstadt. His daughter Charlotte of Hanau-Lichtenberg, the sole heiress, married Ernst Ludwig VIII of Hessen-Darmstadt, who also had a fondness for hunting and later built similar hunting lodges such as the Dianaburg. Originally, the hunting lodge also included an armory, which was demolished in 1779 and rebuilt in Hanau, where it was severely damaged during World War II and later removed.