Malteser Castle

The expansion of the castle grounds, including the current forecourt, took place between 1512 and 1542 under Grand Prior Johann von Hattstein, who also founded a new parish church. From 1612 to 1616, the Franciscan monastery and the current rectory were founded by Prince Johann Friedrich Hund von Saulheim. An engraving by Merian from 1644 depicts the estate as a moated castle. Between 1647 and 1682, Prince Friedrich, Landgrave of Hesse, had a summer residence built in Weinstetten. The Maltese Bath was constructed from 1721 to 1727 under Prince Otto von Merfeldt. Under Prince Philipp Wilhelm von Nesselrode und Reichenstein, the chancellery building, the Herrenmühle, and the chancellor's residence were built from 1728 to 1752. In 1803, the Franciscan monastery was dissolved. Following its conquest by Napoleon I and Heitersheim's incorporation into the Grand Duchy of Baden in 1806, the rule of the Order of Malta ended.