Ostein Palace

The construction of Palais Ostein began in 1766 and was completed in 1771. Count Johann Friedrich Karl Maximilian von Ostein had the palace built on a portion of the Kronberger Hof, which had been in family possession since 1732, as well as on additional acquired plots of land. The designs for the palace came from Johann Valentin Thoman. The complex also included a French Park and an English Garden with an orangery to the north, whose design ideas Ostein had already explored in the Niederwald Park from 1764. Between 1809 and 1811, the property was divided by sale. The west wing and central section were acquired by Lieutenant Colonel von Gontard in 1809, who had the central section demolished in 1812. The east wing went to the Dressel family and wine merchant Friedrich August von Lade in 1813, in whose possession Heinrich Eduard von Lade was born in 1817. Later, in 1849, the Brentano family acquired the east wing, which passed to the Freyberg family through inheritance and is now known as Freyberghaus. St. Ursula School acquired the west wing (today St. Marien) in 1925 and the east wing in 1964 to house school and boarding rooms. However, since 2006, both buildings have been largely vacant due to fire safety regulations. A stable building adjacent to the east was demolished in the 1970s and replaced by today's Ursulinenplatz.