Erkenbrechtshausen Castle

As early as 1278, the Lords of Crailsheim already inhabited the predecessor castle. At the time of the Peasants' War in May 1525, rebellious peasants attacked the lord of the castle, Kaspar von Crailsheim, and laid the castle in ruins. Around 1550, the castle was rebuilt in a rectangular shape and was renovated and expanded by the Lords of Seckendorff between 1760 and 1780. Through descendants of this family, it received several structural additions in the 19th century.

Finally, in the 20th century, the castle complex came into the possession of a private owner, who began the renovation of the largely dilapidated buildings in 1986. Initially, the north wing was to be restored for cultural public use. The city of Crailsheim and the district of Hall hoped for new cultural impulses for the region. Funding seemed secured through considerable public funds for village development, enormous state monument preservation funds, and a high grant from the State Monument Foundation.

However, before the completion of the north wing, the owner died in 1994. Construction work came to a standstill, and the castle fell into a long Sleeping Beauty slumber.

The new ownership situation was curious. The Free State of Bavaria had become the landowner in Baden-Württemberg as a result of legal succession. All attempts to sell the moated castle failed. Until the young Crailsheim entrepreneur Steffen Knödler appeared on the scene in 2007 as a serious prospective buyer. It took another two years until he could become the owner of Erkenbrechtshausen Castle through a compulsory auction. Knödler vigorously took on the restoration. In addition to private use and an animal physiotherapy practice, conference and office rooms are being developed, whereby the existing historical monument remains are largely preserved.