Wellheim Castle

The Lords of Wellenheim were first documented in 1121. Originally free nobles, they lost possessions to the Counts of Grögling and Dollnstein (later Hirschberg), but retained their castle as a fief and became ministeriales. After the death of the last Hirschberg count in 1305, the lordship passed to the Counts of Oettingen in 1309, making the Wellenheim knights their vassals. In 1360, Friedrich von Heydeck acquired the castle from the Oettingens. Following a feud, Johann von Heydeck had to cede the complex in 1449 to Margrave Achilles of Brandenburg-Ansbach and his allies, who in turn enfeoffed it to Hilpolyt von Seckendorf-Brunn. In 1458, the lordship was sold to Count Konrad von Helfenstein, who temporarily resided in the castle.