Schwaneck Castle

Schwaneck Castle is a building on Burgweg in Pullach im Isartal in the district of Munich in Bavaria, which was only built in the 19th century and bears this name as a house name (in contrast to "real" medieval castles).

The castle is located on the southern city limits of Munich in the municipality of Pullach. Its location on the high bank of the Isar offers a view over the Isar Valley all the way to the Alps.

The sculptor Ludwig von Schwanthaler fulfilled a childhood dream with the construction of Schwaneck Castle. After its inauguration in 1843, he primarily used his "Burgfried" – as he called its tower – for lavish celebrations.

Schwanthaler had recently been ennobled by the Bavarian king; however, the construction of a "castle" not only corresponded to his noble title but also to a general (uncritical) infatuation with the Middle Ages, which Schwanthaler shared with many contemporaries. In accordance with Schwanthaler's rather bourgeois financial circumstances, the building was originally far more modest than it appears today.

After Schwanthaler's death in 1848, the house initially went to the family of a cousin. In 1863, it was acquired by Karl Mayer Ritter und Edler von Mayerfels, who was also enthusiastic about the Middle Ages and had it extended and rebuilt. His passion for collecting allegedly led to 30 freight wagons full of furniture and medieval requisites having to be transported away when he moved out of the castle.

Through the interim resident, the British artist Edith Wentworth Dunbar, it came into the possession of the Munich construction and real estate entrepreneur Jakob Heilmann around 1900, who again extended and altered the building. Heilmann bequeathed the house to his son Otto, and in 1955, it was finally acquired by the district of Munich.

The Kreisjugendring München-Land (District Youth Council Munich-Land) has since used the building as a youth education center and youth hostel. After an extension in the seventies and a fundamental renovation from 2003 to 2006, the house now offers space for around 130 guests for seminars, conferences, or school and holiday trips.