Gaibach Castle

Changing rulers shaped the early days of Gaibach Castle. The various village lords of the Middle Ages gradually built a castle in the middle of the village. In the early modern period, the Echter von Mespelbrunn family took over the village's fortunes. The castle was transformed into a palace. The Counts of Schönborn rebuilt the castle in the Baroque style. Today it is part of the Gaibach school grounds.

The history of Gaibach Castle is closely linked to the local history, as it was always the center of the village. In 1299, sources first mention a Gaibach knightly family. "Conradus de Guebach" had possessions in the village; his manor house was probably on the site of the present castle. The village lordship itself was held by the Counts of Castell and the Prince-Bishops of Würzburg. They were represented in the 13th and 14th centuries by various ministeriales, some of whom gradually fortified the manor house. In the middle of the 15th century, the small, less wealthy lordships were replaced by the Zöllner von der Hallburg. Previously, in 1412, the Rücker family of Volkach held dominion over the Gaibach "Burgstall". In 1453, Balthasar Fere vom Berg received the castle. In the same year, Endres Zollner von der Hallburg bought the buildings. His ancestor Hans Zollner made the castle the ancestral seat of the Gaibach line in 1492, which is why he also called himself "Zollner von Gaibach". The elevation to ancestral castle was preceded by an expansion of the castle buildings. They were further fortified and surrounded by a Zwinger, walls, and a moat. Nevertheless, Gaibach Castle was burned down in 1525 during the German Peasants' War by plundering peasant hordes and had to be almost completely rebuilt in the following years. The rule of the Zollner family over Gaibach ended in 1579/80. Due to debt, the castle was sold.

The buyer was Valentin, the brother of the Würzburg Prince-Bishop Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn. A total of 21,816 guilders were paid for the castle and the farm buildings. The new owner had the castle rebuilt in the Renaissance style between 1590 and 1608. Under the direction of the Volkach master builder Jobst Pfaff, a fortified moated castle was created, which is recorded in a copper engraving by Nikolaus Person from 1697. From then on it was called "Castrum Geibach". A four-winged complex with a square inner courtyard was created. The complex was symmetrically designed and equipped with four bastions and two cannon towers. The east side had a drawbridge over which the moat could be crossed. Primarily built as a representative building, the castle could no longer fulfill its defensive function shortly after its construction and was defenseless against the turmoil of the Thirty Years' War. In 1624, still during the war, Valentin Echter died without leaving a successor. Again the castle fell into the hands of changing lords, until in 1648 Field Marshal Jost Maximilian von Bronckhorst-Gronsfeld acquired the buildings. After his dismissal from Bavarian service, the Counts of Schönborn seized the opportunity in 1651 and bought Gaibach Castle for only 10,000 guilders. From then on, Gaibach and the castle were part of the widespread possessions of the Counts of Schönborn from Wiesentheid and remain so to this day.

Between 1693 and 1710, the castle was rebuilt again. First, the garden side was extended, before the construction of the three-flight main staircase, the first of its kind in Franconia, could begin in 1705. Gradually, all parts of the building were renewed in the Baroque style. The executing master builder was Leonhard Dientzenhofer from Bamberg. Lucas von Hildebrandt, Domenico Martinelli, and Maximilian von Welsch also participated in the renovations. The stucco artist was Johann Jakob Vogel. At the same time, the lands around the castle were also redesigned. At the instigation of Elector Lothar Franz von Schönborn, a Baroque pleasure garden was created based on the French model, which was known throughout Europe. The park was equipped with a porcelain house and an orangery, where citrus trees were brought in winter. In the engravings by Salomon Kleiner from 1727/28, the horseshoe-shaped Baroque castle and the surrounding garden can be seen. The interior of the castle was dedicated to the count's collections. A richly furnished library, a collection of paintings and manuscripts, and a selection of blue porcelain adorned the rooms. In 1721, Prince-Bishop Lothar Franz had the paintings inventoried by his art agent Jan Joost van Cossiau. Nevertheless, work continued on the castle in subsequent generations, although the Counts of Schönborn increasingly retreated to their other castle in Wiesentheid.

At the beginning of the 19th century, most of the bastions were demolished, and the garden facade was also simplified. In the 1820s, the moat was filled in and further structural changes were made. The interiors were decorated in a Neoclassical style and the Baroque garden was transformed into an English landscape park. With mediatization and the annexation to Bavaria in 1806, the Counts lost all political power.