Bettenburg Castle

The Bettenburg is a small Renaissance mountain castle in the Haßberge district (Free State of Bavaria) not far from the town of Hofheim (approx. three kilometers) and its district Manau (approx. one kilometer), to which it belongs.

Due to its location, clearly visible between the hills of the Haßberge, the Bettenburg is also called the landmark of the Haßberge.

The castle was first mentioned in a document in 1231. However, it is likely to be older, as it stands directly on the Rennweg, a formerly important military and trade route between Sulzfeld (in Grabfeld) and Hallstadt (and part of a connection between Fulda and Bamberg), on the ridge of the Haßberge and belonged to a chain of fortifications that were intended to protect this connecting route.

During the Peasants' War in 1525, the Bettenburg was destroyed and rebuilt in 1535 under the direction of Knight Balthasar Truchseß. The rebels at that time had to pay damages of 10,632 guilders.

Until 1940, the castle served as the residence of the noble Truchseß family, who are still the owners of the castle today. Afterwards, it served as a rural school home, a children's evacuation home, and a retirement home for the city of Würzburg. In the 1970s, the castle was also operated as a hotel for a time. From 1977 to 2009, a rehabilitation center of the Baden-Württemberg State Association for Prevention and Rehabilitation gGmbH (bw lv) was operated there. The therapeutic facility moved to the nearby Eichelsdorf Castle at the end of 2009.

In 2010, the interior of the castle was renovated. The new tenants have since operated it as a seminar and conference center.