To be privately owned
The Castle can be visited
CastleSteinbach
Fürstenau Castle (Steinbach)
Fürstenau Castle is a moated castle on the Mümling in the Steinbach district of Michelstadt in the Odenwald.
The castle was built in the 14th century by Kurmainz to protect the neighboring Steinbach monastery and the surrounding estates against Kurpfalz. The process is to be evaluated as a dispute between the archbishopric and the Palatinate following the dissolution of Lorsch Monastery in 1232. The construction on feudal land of the Schenken von Erbach, who were vassals of the Palatine Counts, led to complications that were initially resolved with the granting of a castle fief and later the pledging to Erbach. The earliest mention of the castle dates from 1310. In 1317, Schenk Eberhard VI. von Erbach is mentioned as a Mainz castleman. After the castle was initially granted to Erbach as a Mainz fief, the Schenken acquired Fürstenau in 1355, definitively in 1454. Until then, a Mainz official had resided in the castle.
Count Georg III. von Erbach (1548-1605) had the complex extended into a castle and the large ornamental arch erected in place of the former gate system. Large parts of the outer bailey, such as the Beschließerei in the north (around 1590), the later Baroque-modified stables (1591) and the outlying castle mill (end of the 16th century) are due to the count's lively building activity. Decorative forms of the Renaissance are dominant on the castle buildings of this period.
With the Erbach division of inheritance in 1717/18, Fürstenau became the seat of the Erbach-Fürstenau family, who still live in the castle today. The status as a residence required further extensions, which took place from the middle of the 18th century. In 1754–56, the garden pavilion was built, which was extended into a court theater a few years later (1767). In the southern forecourt, the gate and coach house (also called Neuer Bau, 1764–66) and a barn (1754) were built. The classical "Neues Palais" (New Palace) had to make way for the castle chapel and the chancellery in 1808–1814, which also dated from the time of Georg III. The designs for the new building came from Friedrich Gerhard Wahl, building director of the Duchy of Pfalz-Zweibrücken. Among the latest buildings of the castle ensemble are the orangery in the pleasure garden (1834–38 in place of a predecessor building from 1760) and a wood magazine (1886) in the castle courtyard.
Complex+
The current castle complex contains buildings from all centuries and forms a remarkable sequence of different architectural styles. The oldest parts of the building are contained in the castellated core castle in the north.
A visit to the castle courtyard is possible, but is subject to changing restrictions due to the private use of the ensemble, depending on the time of day and day of the week.
Core Castle
The oldest part of the complex has a trapezoidal floor plan with four round corner towers. Parts of the oldest moated castle can be found in the south wing of the core castle (the so-called "stone house" next to the Red Tower). The masonry of the north and east wings dates from the 14th century, half-timbered floors and roofs from the 14th and 15th centuries respectively. The "Red Tower" with its Renaissance spire was built between 1531 and 1588 and replaced an earlier, smaller tower. It contains a chapel with a stucco ceiling. Remains of wall paintings are preserved in the castle courtyard, in the northwest tower and in the "Red Tower".
From the time of Georg III. date the vaults of the Eppstein chambers, a spiral staircase and the main portal. The most significant renovation, however, consisted of the demolition of the western defensive wall towards the outer bailey. It was replaced in 1588 by a mighty archway with a span of 15.60 m and an open stone parapet. A coat of arms plaque is located there.
Outer Bailey and Outbuildings
In contrast to the "old castle" as the core of the complex, the current building stock of the outer bailey was erected between the 16th and 19th centuries. Worth seeing are the classical residential wing "Neues Palais" (1808–14) adjoining the moated castle to the west, as well as the gate and coach house ("Neuer Bau", 1764/66). Outside the outer bailey towards the Mümling is the Renaissance castle mill, a former mint (today its own run-of-river power plant) and the delicate Baroque Kavaliershaus. In the outer bailey, several prominent visual artists have set up studios (among others in the former stables, after 1765).
Castle Garden and Orangery
The count's garden is located on both sides of the Mümling, but the eastern, larger part is not publicly accessible. It existed since the 17th century as a chessboard-shaped ornamental garden in the Dutch style and was converted into an English landscape garden in 1811–26. It contains the late Baroque orangery, on whose upper floor the small castle theater was housed.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 49.6882, 8.9995