Babenhausen Castle

Founded around 1200 by the Lords of Hagen-Münzenberg, the complex initially served as an administrative and military center. A document from 1236 mentions the castle in the context of a marriage agreement. Through inheritance, it passed to the House of Hanau, which was later elevated to count status. In 1458, Babenhausen Castle was assigned to the younger line of the Counts of Hanau-Lichtenberg as a residence. Several counts, including Philipp I the Elder, Philipp II, and Philipp III, resided here before the family's focus shifted to the Upper Rhine. Subsequently, the castle often served as a dower house or accommodation for non-reigning family members, including Countess Anna of Isenburg and several nuns after the Reformation.