Bächingen Castle

In the 16th century, the manor of Bächingen came into the possession of the knightly family von Westernach. They had a moated castle built directly on the south bank of the Brenz, replacing an older structure. The foundation stone was laid on August 28, 1531, by Bernhard von Westernach and his wife Margaretha von Knöringen, as evidenced by a building inscription above the east portal. Under their son Eitelhans, Bächingen separated from Pfalz-Neuburg and developed into an imperial knightly dominion, making the castle the official seat of government. Through marriage, the dominion passed to the Lords von Stain in 1594, who ruled until 1790 and introduced the Reformation. Later, Duchess Franziska von Württemberg, better known as Franziska von Hohenheim, acquired the three-story building.