Gnötzheim Castle

In 1137, the place was first mentioned as the inheritance of the Willanzheim nobleman Gerung in a dispute with the Würzburg Cathedral Chapter and formed an office of the Cathedral Provostry around 1300. However, the majority of the place belonged to the manor of the noble families of Seinsheim (1300/1327–1387), von Seckendorff (1390–1426) and von Rosenberg (1426–1632), before it passed to the Counts of Schwarzenberg in 1646 after their extinction. Of the repeatedly destroyed castle (1418, 1523, 1645 in the Thirty Years' War), the tithe barn built in 1562 and a round tower still stand. The significant Romanesque church of the 12th century was redesigned in the late Gothic and Renaissance periods and still contains two Rosenberg tombstones from the 16th century. It served as the burial place of the Rosenbergs.

In the middle of the 16th century, the robber knight Hans Thomas von Absberg abducted merchants from imperial cities in Franconia and Swabia on their trade journeys and demanded a high ransom for their release. He had allies who supported him in his raids and hid him in their castles when there was a danger of capture. The Rosenbergs, then owners of the Gnötzen castle complex, also supported him, hoping to replenish their dwindling riches a little. In 1523, the Swabian League finally sent its troops to raze 23 "robber's nests" to the ground, including Wachbach Castle. On June 23, they reached the complex and blew it up to prevent the return of the Rosenbergs.

The subsequently colored and inscribed woodcut by Hans Wandereisen states: "VIII. Gnotzen belonged to Cuntz von Rosenberg – located near Speckfeldt. Was burned by the League on the 13th day of June." This view is the oldest depiction of the castle, which is prominently shown in the cut.