Freiensteinau Castle

In the municipality of Freiensteinau in the Vogelsberg district in Hesse, in the immediate vicinity of the church, stands the Amtshaus Schloss Freiensteinau of the Barons Riedesel zu Eisenbach. It is located in the north of Hesse in the "Blaue Eck" on the German Fairy Tale Route.

It was built in 1688 as the main building of an administrative court. The building ensemble comprises a farmhouse, stables, barns, a gardener's house, and a castle cemetery on a park area of approximately 15,000 m² within the village.

The castle was built as a single-story structure on the vaulted cellar and the 3-meter thick basalt foundation in cross-section, with a floor area of approx. 210 m². In the early 19th century, it was extended upwards, the sandstone spiral staircase to the upper floor and the rooms were built in half-timbered construction with oak beams. As a result, the building has 16 rooms.

The steep gabled roof, covered with beaver tail tiles, stands out stylistically due to the cladding of the foundation, gables, and dormer windows with slate shingles.

The front view is representative, symmetrical, and the entrance is designed with a two-sided spiral staircase to the center. Grotesques at the building corners, windows, and doors are divided by muntins, framed in sandstone, and the family crest above the entrance emphasize the structure of the building. Another family crest is located above the archway.

In 1975, the private ownership changed hands through sale to the Barons v. Westernhagen, who in the meantime had the farmhouse, stables, and gardener's house restored. The castle was reduced to its shell state and the vaulted cellar was exposed. In January 2007, Hurricane Kyrill severely damaged the roof.