Haardt Castle

The origins of the site date back to the 10th and 11th centuries, when Winzingen Castle was built there. This castle, which belonged to the Counts Palatine of the Rhine, suffered damage in the Palatine War of Succession in 1696 and fell into ruin in the 18th century. After expropriation by French revolutionary troops in 1804, the area came into private ownership. A Neustadt merchant transformed the site into a park and used remnants of the palas as a wine press house. In 1875, Commerzienrat August Ritter von Clemm, co-founder of BASF, acquired the property. From 1876, he had the current small castle built as a residence, which was completed with a pavilion and a large terrace only in 1893.